a reordering (a time and place, I've changed and abandoned you)
by wearethewitches
Summary: "-Prince Neal." When things are just a little bit out of order and Emma - followed by Regina - falling through the time portal leads to even more changes. /abandoned for rewrite of same name
1. Chapter 1

"People of Storybrooke, it is our great joy to introduce you to our son…Prince Neal."

It hits Emma like a punch to the gut. _Neal_. She stares at her brother, a creeping cold rising up her spine, moving backwards and bumping into something – that something turning out to be a beer. Cursing under her breath as it crashes to the floor, Emma stands up.

"Sorry, sorry-"

"It's no bother," Granny tuts, quick to snap some short words at Ruby over by the bar, who comes over with paper towels and a dustpan and brush.

"Sorry," Emma says again, still reeling.

"Emma, it's alright," David puts a hand over the table, resting it on Emma's arm. "We surprised you."

"Yeah, you did," Emma agrees. Naming her brother _Neal_ …her stomach protests and Emma brushes his hand off her arm. "Excuse me." She manoeuvres over the crouching Ruby and Leroy, who for some reason is helping out. Ignoring the concerned calls, Emma retreats to the bathroom, locking the door and clutching the doorframe. "Just… _why?_ " She questions out loud, shaking.

 _I know we made amends, that I still love him after all this time and even with his death-_ Emma thinks of the Echo Caves starkly, remembering how she gripped the wooden bars of Neal's cage as she'd admitted it.

" _When we get off this island and get back to Storybrooke, I want another go at it. I want to have another baby!_ "

Her mother admitting that she wanted another child had burned for so long and Emma can feel that jealousy – that hurt rising back up again. Now her baby brother, who she already loved to pieces, he was being named after who might have once been his brother-in-law. _This is fucked up_ , she thinks, squeezing burning eyes shut tight, wishing she was back in New York with Henry, oblivious and happy.

 _Walsh was a flying monkey_ , she conveniently reminds herself, grimacing.

Pushing off from the door, opening her eyes and pacing a little in the tiny bathroom, Emma wonders if she shouldn't just leave right now. She has an apartment literally just waiting for her in New York, not to mention the one in Boston, which by now, after so many years, has probably been squatted in multiple times. _I should have just sold the damn thing._ Card numbers, passwords and small details – like the name of Henry's school, like the phone number for her next door neighbour, Henry's emergency contact – flit through her mind, reminding her of a good life she had with Henry, her Henry-

Once again, she then pops her own bubble. _Not my Henry. He's not Henry Swan – he's Henry Mills. Henry Daniel Mills. He didn't even have a middle name as a Swan._

"Emma?" Regina's voice is muffled through the door. She knocks sharply. "Emma, everyone's worried. Snow and Charming are panicking over whether naming your brother Neal-" Emma flinches "-was a good idea, which it wasn't, in my opinion, not when you're reacting like this."

"I'm fine," she replies, but it comes out wrong and her voice is wavering. There's a short pause, before she repeats, "I'm fine."

"I believe you. Can I come in?" Regina doesn't give her a chance to reply, poofing into the bathroom in a flurry of dark purple smoke. Emma swallows nervously at the sight of her. Regina folds her arms, narrowing her eyes. "You look as if you're about to hurl."

"I'm not going to hurl," Emma shakes her head, feeling kind of light-headed all of a sudden. Regina raises her eyebrow and for some reason, Lily's face pops into her head – they look really alike, Emma thinks confusedly, _like, really alike._

"Your parents should have asked you if they could name your brother after him," Regina cuts off her thoughts. "And Gold, for that matter. He's not even here right now. He'll probably hear about it second-hand, if he's not already shown up unannounced with Belle. Frankly, I expected something much worse from Snow, but in truth, this is just as complicated."

"What did you think they were going to name him?" Emma asks.

Regina tenses, before speaking in a low voice. "Leopold. After your grandfather."

"Oh," Emma thinks on what she knows of her grandfather. _Not a lot. Only that he married Regina and that Regina and Mary-Margaret are only a few years apart._ Grimacing at the thoughts that follow – _I do not like and never want to meet my grandfather, ever_ – Emma looks to the ground, the only true safe option. "Not a good idea, either."

"No."

"…they couldn't have just come up with a new name?" Emma is angry all of a sudden, fists clenching tightly as she glares, looking to Regina for some- any kind of support. "Are they _that_ unimaginative? Neal isn't even his real name- wasn't, _wasn't_ his real name."

"Well," Regina mutters, "I think it's safe to say that we both agree on the fact that they should have thought it through properly."

"Agreed," Emma grits her teeth, nails digging into her hands as she tries to be calm. It doesn't work, but she reaches inside her for...she wants to punch something. She wants to throw a tantrum and she wants to be anywhere else but here in Granny's Diner. She wants to be in New York, Boston, _anywhere_ but Storybrooke-

A familiar warmth builds in her stomach, around the area she had reached for and before she can even register the fact, white clouds her vision and then she's dropped to the ground.

"Oomph!" Emma gets to her knees, looking up and around herself. _I'm on the edge of the town line_ , she realises, standing carefully. A little way off in the distance, she sees the barn where Zelena had tried to use her baby brother as a ritual ingredient but the flurry of purple smoke distracts her from the fact. "Regina."

"Miss Swan," Regina come forwards, hands gripping her elbows, looking her up and down. "Are you alright? No pain, no missing-" she cuts herself off as Emma makes a face.

"No missing what?"

Regina purses her lips before speaking in a bristly voice. "You just teleported, Miss Swan, without even truly trying. Anything could be missing."

Emma's expression twists into one of horror as she gets what Regina's saying. "I could have left my lungs back in the diner?"

"Well, obviously you didn't," Regina rolls her eyes, before letting go of her. She doesn't step back though and Emma has an odd feeling, a sensation that she doesn't have a lot of time to think on before – once again – she's distracted, this time by an ominous green smoke.

"Regina…"

"What?" Regina turns, both women watching as it enters the barn. Quickly, it becomes clear what's happening as golden light starts to emanate from the doorway. "Oh no."

"The portal!" Emma starts to run forwards, Regina following behind with a panicked _Emma!_

Approaching the barn as it starts to shake, Emma looks back to Regina, mouth open to speak when suddenly the doors to the barn fly inwards, Emma following as she lets out a yell.

"Regina!" She cries before being sucked into the portal, only just being able to see the Queen's familiar figure as she too gets sucked in.

The portal is twisting and bright, bright white-yellow. Emma has to shut her eyes as she thinks of Regina, panicking over the redeemed villain. She focuses on her mental image of her, trying to calm down, but thoughts of Lily again penetrate her, how they have the same hair, eyes and even the same goddamned facial expressions.

Being pushed out of portals, unfortunately, is something she can't really grasp, despite her recent couple of experiences. Slamming into the ground, Emma only has time to turn onto her back before Regina lands on her, the portal closing. Falling back fully onto the ground, Regina's face quickly comes close to hers.

"Woah, wow, uh…" Eyes wide, Emma stares at Regina, who sucks in a breath at how close they are before awkwardly rolling off her, getting up onto her feet unsteadily. Emma follows her, flushing a little, coughing as she too gets up, looking around. "Forest."

They were on the edge of a forest, to be more precise. On one side was a thicket of trees and on the other was a large, flat plain of dirt and ash, completely empty of vegetation. Further onwards, past the plain was more forest, but in the distance Emma can see a relatively small, if tall, castle.

"Not just any forest, Miss Swan. The Enchanted Forest – _that_ is Maleficent's castle."

"Great, we're in the Enchanted Forest in the territory of a fire-breathing dragon."

"Maybe not," Regina mutters, before reaching out to take Emma's hand, purple smoke swirling around them. Emma stumbles as they reappear in front of a set of large double-doors, certainly big enough for a dragon of Maleficent's size.

"I thought you didn't need to touch people to transport them," Emma looks at their entwined hands, frowning as Regina keeps a tight grip. _She's pale_ , Emma notices, _frightened? But the Evil Queen doesn't get frightened._ At her words however, Regina pauses and goes to let go, but Emma keeps hold, having a feeling that it isn't a good thing that Regina is so nervous. "Not that I'm complaining. You're eye-candy."

Regina blinks in surprise, some colour returning to her. "I beg your pardon?"

Smirking a little, Emma raises her eyebrow. "You're gorgeous. Anyone would be lucky to hold your hand." She raises their clasped hands, wiggling them slightly, getting an eye-roll from Regina before she knocks on the double-doors.

She doesn't let go of Emma's hand.

"So, why are we deliberately knocking on a dragon's door?"

"We travelled through a time portal, therefore we could be anywhere, seeing as we had no direction. Maleficent can tell us when we are and maybe even help."

"What about Gold?" Emma questions as Regina knocks again, snorting.

"No. We are not making any deals with that man." She makes an annoyed noise as no-one answers the door, "Dammit, Maleficent. Reducing me to breaking and entering." Regina raises her hand up, twisting sharply, the doors creaking and groaning as they open, sparks fizzling as the castle pulses, the wards visibly breaking.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that shouldn't happen," Emma glances at Regina's face, suddenly full of worry as she pulls Emma inside, leading her through large stone corridors to a great hall, in which there are only a couple of chairs, sofas and a rug, all centred around a roaring fireplace.

"Maleficent! Maleficent, are you here?"

A voice suddenly echoes around the castle, giving Emma goosebumps. " _My Regina…what an unwelcome surprise. What did I tell you, last time you visited?_ "

"I don't know, because I'm not your Regina."

"I doubt that," a woman that Emma supposes is Maleficent suddenly appears in front of them, long blonde hair falling down past her shoulders in waves. Emma's struck by how beautiful she is, briefly, before she sees the dark bags under her eyes that aren't anything to do with her shadowy makeup and realises that she's in a long nightgown. "Who's your friend, dear?"

"Emma," Emma introduces herself, before deciding to go all out…ish. "Princess Emma."

Maleficent eyes her, "You don't look like much of a princess."

"And you don't look like much of a dragon," Emma replies dryly, glancing at Regina, who seems to have gone silent. "Someone perfected time travel. She's really not the Regina you know, right now."

Maleficent frowns before sitting down in a wingback chair, as if it were a throne – something Emma can see at the end of the hall.

"I can't help you get back."

"You really know nothing?" Regina regains her voice. "Or are you just looking for an exchange?"

"Hmmm," Maleficent glances to the fireplace. "You broke the wards on my castle keeping intruders out. I'm busy elsewhere – fix them."

"Later. What are you busy with?"

"Nothing you'd be concerned about," Maleficent dismisses, but Emma narrows her eyes, sensing the lie. "Time travel isn't something I'm familiar with, but the method in which you travelled could be recreated, possibly."

"We came through a portal," Emma says, voice guarded. Regina looks back at her, frowning at her sudden change in personality. Emma briefly meets eyes with her, before looking back to Maleficent. "How could it be recreated?"

"Wards first. Information later."

Regina huffs, but to Emma's surprise, she lets go of Emma's hand, stalking back the way they came. At a sudden loss, Emma watches her go, tensing slightly as Maleficent speaks to her directly.

"Princess Emma…I've never heard of you before. What kingdom do you hail from?"

"Uh, ever heard of Snow White?"

Maleficent raises an eyebrow, looking at Emma balefully, "Regina is my former lover and I am her only friend in this world. You think I've never heard of Snow White?" Maleficent laughs a little, smiling amusedly as she relaxes in her chair. "Sit. How are you related to the young Queen?"

"Uh…" Emma hesitantly sits on a sofa, playing with Graham's shoelace around her wrist. "Do you know what the Dark Curse does?"

"Of course."

"Well, I escaped it when I was a baby and grew up in the Land Without Magic," Emma explains. "Snow White is my mother."

"And Regina hasn't slaughtered you?" Maleficent raises an eyebrow again. "She _has_ changed."

"We sort of have a son together. Henry would be upset if she started murdering his relatives."

Emma sees Maleficent's face change at that, surprise and soft shock spreading over her features. A hesitancy enters her eyes, before she finally replies.

"Regina…Regina has a son? With you?"

"Yeah, he's thirteen in a couple of months. Regina's a great mom," Emma gives a genuine smile at that thought, before Regina returns in a cloud of smoke, huffing at the sight of Emma on the sofa.

"Well, you've gotten comfortable."

"Indeed, Regina, she has," Maleficent says quietly. "I'm glad to see you found your happy ending."

"…I'm nearly there. Thank-you," Regina nods to her before sitting down in the armchair across from Maleficent, so Emma sits between them. "So, has your sad little mind come up with a plan to get us home?"

"Oh, Regina, of course I have. However, first we need to discover why you ended up _here_ of all places. I'm assuming you didn't have to walk far to get here – your clothing is a little inconspicuous."

Emma glances down at her leather jacket, before conceding as she'd seen the people of fairy-tale lands, when she fell through into the present-day Enchanted Forest and they didn't exactly wear denim and off-the-shelf polo necks. Regina isn't much better in her dress and _own_ black leather jacket.

"Zelena's magic activated the portal, somehow," the Queen starts, waving her hand at Maleficent's enquiring look, "Emma and I were nearby and got sucked in."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Emma, mostly and how she's just as idiotic as her _charming_ father."

"Hey!" Emma glares, "You're the one that followed me!"

"To stop you from erasing yourself from existence," Regina rolls her eyes. "What were _you_ thinking about, Miss Swan? You might not be aware, but portals pick up on intent."

"I don't know, you?" Emma goes on the defensive, hating how easy Regina riles her up when she isn't deliberately trying to comfort her…and _dammit, I almost forgot about Neal._ Bitterness coats her tongue as she thinks of her baby brother who will now forever be named after Henry's father. _We're going to get them mixed up at this rate, talking about Baelfire-Neal and baby-Neal…_

"Princess Emma," Maleficent interrupts her thoughts. "I might not seem to be much of a dragon, but I assure you, I am. My senses are well-equipped, even in this paltry human form. What is making you so upset, dear?"

"Nothing," Emma feels entitled to lie, when Maleficent did earlier. "When we went through the portal, I thought of Regina, mostly because I saw her get sucked in after me. I don't know. My thoughts go everywhere. I'm easily distracted."

"An understatement," Regina snorts and Emma glares at her again, the coldness so _off-putting_ in her mind. _Lily never looked like that._

"Princess, it's important to remember – it could mean understanding why you appeared near my castle rather than at the Evil Queen of this time's side," Maleficent says, voice both calm and impatient.

Emma blows air out of her mouth, a piece of hair flicking upwards briefly. "Fine. I was thinking of a friend of mine, from when I was a kid. Regina looks like her." She looks moodily into the fire, remembering those feelings of betrayal and just- just breaking down inside after coming home to find her family's house looted, because she was being lied to _again_.

"What was her name?" Maleficent questions and if Emma hadn't been a bail-bondsperson, used to fishing for information, she might not have caught the slight change in her tone. Looking at the dragon, Emma sees how she sits up straighter and there's a familiarity there that shouldn't be. Emma doesn't know where it comes from, but the fact that Maleficent _is_ fishing is only confirmed when Regina speaks.

"Why are you so interested?"

"Names are power," Maleficent says and Emma is curious enough about her reaction to tell her – which is, of course, when her sleeve slips and she sees the trail of purple stars up her wrist.

"What do the stars mean?" Emma asks, fixated on them.

"They're centuries lived, all dragons have them," Regina answers. "Bloodlines keep the same marks."

 _Bloodlines_ , Emma thinks before standing and walking around the back of the sofa, once more in shock.

"Emma?"

Emma ignores Regina, pacing and feeling angry again, yet curiously glad, too. _Lily had one star. So she was in her first century, if she was a dragon, which is ridiculous._ Hands going to her hair, she tugs lightly, trying to understand. _Was she like me? Was she sent away- did_ _ **Maleficent**_ _send her away? Has she even been born yet? And why does she look like Regina?_

"You've met her, haven't you?" Maleficent asks, voice light and awed. "What's she like?"

"She was lonely, always _so_ alone." Emma bites, "She never fit in and never felt like she belonged. She was always running and she popped into my life twice and blew me away like a hurricane each time. I thought she was my friend."

"What is going on? Who are you talking about?" Regina starts angrily, confused. Emma shakes her head before just sitting on the sofa again. _I can't run. There's nowhere_ _ **to**_ _run._

"Hush, Regina," Maleficent rises, "I kept something from you. You were too entrenched in darkness and revenge – and I thought it would be the end of her life if you knew."

Emma looks back and forth between Maleficent and Regina, eyes widening slowly.

"What- who? What are you on about, Mal?" Regina stands, tense and wrist on the edge of twisting in that very special, fireball-summoning kind of way. Emma wishes she could back away, but the sofa she sits on won't budge as she tries to delicately push it back across the carpet.

Maleficent sighs, "We have a daughter, Regina."

Emma chokes on air, pretty much matching Regina, who looks like she's been punched in the gut.

" _What?_ " She breathes, "No, but- _no_. You don't have a child, not in Storybrooke-"

"Emma knows her though, knew her." Maleficent frowns, looking at Emma, whose eyes widen as Regina turns to her as well.

"It wasn't in Storybrooke, we- wait," Emma stops, frowning all of a sudden. "Regina and you have a kid? How does that work?"

"The same way you had Henry, I presume," Maleficent raises an eyebrow, Regina sucking in a breath.

"No! No, Mal, _no_ – Emma and I aren't together. How do you even know about Henry?"

"Princess Emma told me."

Regina looks to Emma, bristling a little as Emma realises she might have messed up a little. "Miss Swan. Did you really call us Henry's mothers and mention _nothing_ else about how that works?"

"To be fair," Emma cringes, "I'm not the one who assumed we were together, that was all Maleficent."

"Yes, put the blame on me," Maleficent shakes her head, "Enough. Clearly, you were brought near me because Emma here thought of my daughter, whom in truth is actually still in egg-form in a cave not far from here. Cruella and Ursula are guarding her."

"That's a bad idea," Regina says, gaining an annoyed look.

"They are my friends and they would not betray me, unlike you, Your Majesty."

Regina flinches and Emma stands up again, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Maleficent?"

"Yes, dear?" Maleficent calms, looking to her.

"Are you planning on sending her away for her own safety? I mean, to protect her from being affected by Regina's curse?" Emma questions, thinking on what _egg-form_ means. _Is my mom pregnant with me, somewhere? Lily was a few months older than me…_

"No. The safest place for a dragon chick is with their mother. My daughter was never going to leave my side," Maleficent gains a worried expression. "You said she was not in Storybrooke."

"No, she's not," Emma shakes her head, "She got adopted, like I did, but her parents never sent her back like me. But she wasn't happy. I mean, she knew she was adopted but she didn't love her adoptive parents. She ran away a lot, trying to get away from it all. The last time I heard from her, she…" Emma trails off, glancing at Regina. "Anyway, uh, how did that work anyway? I mean, was it magic or something or are you…" Emma motions downwards, Regina recoiling.

"No, Miss Swan, I am not-" she repeats Emma's motions, faster and slightly embarrassedly. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, but no. Magic. Dragon magic."

"A mix of magics," Maleficent continues, "Dragon magic plus true love, which yes, we do share, Regina. Our daughter would have never happened otherwise."

Emma's eyebrows fly up. "You share true love with _a dragon?_ Way to blow off Robin Hood."

Regina sends Emma a nasty look, "Leave Robin out of it. He's my soulmate. There's a difference."

"Your soulmate? Really?" Maleficent interrupts, "How did you find that out? With all this time magic you've been meddling with, I would have thought it would be rather confusing to divine your true soulmate."

"True soulmate?" Emma shakes her head. "No, actually, not going to ask. Too many bombshells today."

"I want to know," Regina snits, "What do you mean, Mal?"

"You have multiple soulmates over your life, Regina," Maleficent educates her, humming as she comes closer and closer, Emma faintly wondering if they were going to kiss as Maleficent leans into her, their foreheads connecting. Regina looks strangely at ease, however. "Each one serves a different purpose. This Robin of yours, is he good for you?"

"Yes, yes he is," Regina murmurs.

Emma sort of wants to leave. She feels like a third wheel, watching them share an intimate moment.

Thankfully, it breaks when Maleficent looks to Emma. "Would your life be much different if you never met my daughter?"

"Uh…I don't know. Maybe? I mean, she saved me from being caught shoplifting and then got me back into the system the first time we met…" Emma thinks it over, shrugging. "Though I suppose being caught would have got me put back. The second time we met is trickier. I was about to be adopted by this really nice family and then she sort of came and fucked it up for me. I lied to them for her and I got her stupid necklace back, but she stole heaps of money and shit from them and everything sort of crumbled."

"What happened to her afterwards?" Maleficent presses. "Could you use this time travel portal to collect her, right after this incident?"

"And what?" Regina mutters, "Get trapped in the Land Without Magic, over ten years in the past? The only magic in that world is in the confines of Storybrooke. I'll assume you collided with…with Mal's daughter before you had Henry."

Emma swallows, thinking of _Back to the Future_ and how fucked up their lives are. _Regina has a daughter_ , she thinks, _but retrieving her…it wouldn't be worth the effort if something goes wrong_. "Henry might not be born if we muck anything up."

"No, it'll work," Maleficent argues, "You're Snow White's daughter, born of true love if Regina's _charming_ jab was pointed – you have magic that is innate, deep inside of you that won't ever fade because of how much it is part of your being. Regina is the same, but to a smaller degree, which has always made no sense to me considering her parents' marriage, Henry's love being one-sided, unrequited. While magic might not work for her outside of this…'Storybrooke', it would definitely for you. Did you never use it?"

"I didn't know magic was a thing to believe in, before everything really hit off, breaking the cure and all." Emma feels it might be a little unfair of them to plan this when Maleficent knows only small things about the future, but then she remembers the dragon she killed and swallows. _She won't be there when the curse breaks. It'll be fine._ "Basically, I grew up in the Land Without Magic and when I was eighteen I had a kid with Rumplestiltskin's son and gave him up for adoption. Regina took him in, raised him, named him Henry and then somehow, a cursed Snow White found a book with all their stories in it and gave it to Henry for…reasons."

"That book is the bane of my life," Regina mutters, before finishing their Cliffs Notes story. "Henry figured things out, brought Emma to town and eventually, she broke the curse. A lot of things have happened since and I, regretfully, am now considered a hero, most of the time. My mother is dead and oh, forgot to tell you, I have a sister."

"A sister?" Maleficent takes all this in and Emma blinks, because _that's_ what gives her pause. "It's hard to imagine you with a sister."

"She's the Wicked Witch of the West," Emma fills in, "Zelena. Also the person who figured out time travel so she could travel back in time to kill Regina, or something. She's a jealous bitch with mommy problems, but really, _really_ powerful. Regina had to tap into light magic to defeat her."

"You know," Regina starts, "We haven't talked about how Zelena could even activate the portal. Her magic was in that pendant and I put that in my vault. How could she use it to get out?"

"Perhaps she died," Maleficent offers, running her hand over Regina's cheek. "Witches that pour their magic into receptacles are tricky. The fact that you had to use light magic, Regina, is something in itself, but…she might be able to reform. If she was clever. She could have activated the portal and come through here with you."

"What?" Regina snaps. Maleficent lowers her hand as Regina looks to Emma, who matches her fearful look. "When _exactly_ are we, Mal?" Regina questions the dragon.

Maleficent says a date, using a calendar that Emma has no familiarity with.

"Oh no," Regina obviously understands it, though. "This is bad. Good, but still quite bad."

"When are we?"

"I know this date, specifically, because your parents are getting married today."

" _Oh_ ," Emma looks to Maleficent. "You won't have long to wait then, will you?"

"Wait?" Maleficent raises an eyebrow.

"For Lily," Emma says, before realising that's the first time she said her name out loud. Maleficent gasps, Regina making a noise of bewilderment. "She…um, she's a couple of months younger than me. Like, five months older. So…Regina, what's the equivalent date?"

"Let's just say, two to three months away," Regina looks overwhelmed and Emma…really can't blame her. It's like Henry showing up at her doorway all over again, except Regina doesn't have the memory of giving birth to comfort her that she's not dreaming. "Maleficent, I think we should just return to our time. We'll find…we'll find Lily there."

"No, please, let me take you to my cave," Maleficent pleads, reaching to grip both of their hands. Emma makes a noise of surprise but Maleficent keeps speaking. "Take her egg, hatch her in the future. Please, I just want her to be _safe_."

Then, to Emma's surprised fascination, Regina reaches to Maleficent, wrapping her arms around her and kissing her. Once again, Emma feels like a third wheel, but it's far more distant than before. _I am a voyeur_ , she decides, before looking to her hand as Maleficent's grows warm.

"Uh, Male-" Emma's word turn into a yell as _actual fire_ licks at her arm, Maleficent and Regina snap apart, Maleficent staring at Emma with sudden confusion.

"How…" Maleficent lets go of Regina, turning to Emma, taking both of her hands against her will, more fire – _magic fire, I can tell, this is magic fire_ – growing up both their arms.

"Stop! Stop it, oh my _god-_ "

"Mal, stop, she's not a dragon," Regina tries to pull Maleficent away as Emma's leather jacket burns, smoking and filling her nose with an acrid smell. "Mal!"

"She might not be a dragon, but she still has dragon magic," Maleficent's eyes start to glow a Disney villain green and Emma feels something in her chest like fire. It's like her magic – _it_ _ **is**_ _my magic?_ – and it rushes through her arms and to her eyes, the flames increasing as her vision changes from full colour to a golden spectrum. "What _are_ you, princess?"


	2. Chapter 2

Everything is fuzzy, like…like being hungover, except there's no thundering headache or horrid feeling in her stomach that would usually lead her to the bathroom. Opening her eyes, Emma blinks at what she sees – it's like everything is HD and it both feels normal and strange. _Seeing was always so…different before._ Sitting up, Emma looks around, realising she was still in the giant chamber, but was lying on the sofa, a blanket falling off her onto the floor.

Picking it up – feeling all the fibres, one by one, as if they weren't tiny and miniscule – Emma feels a freezing wind and is quick to wrap the blanket around herself…around her _naked body._

"What the hell?" She whispers, trying to find Maleficent and Regina. _The fire, it must have burnt my clothes off. But why aren't I burnt then too?_ "Regina? Maleficent?"

No answer.

Adjusting the blanket awkwardly, Emma stands, going closer to the fire, hesitantly sitting on the carpet. The floor is hard beneath the Persian, but the fire is warmer than simply a blanket on a sofa. Oddly though, the fire…isn't that warm. For how large it is, it should have been producing a lot more heat than it was. Putting her hand closer, the other holding the blanket around her, Emma frowns at how even putting her hand closer didn't make it any hotter.

Remembering before, when the fire didn't burn her, Emma bites her lip. _This is a stupid idea_ , she thinks, before reaching into the flames. No sudden heat comes and there's no pain, either. Fascinated, Emma pokes at a log, frowning as ash gets over her finger. Brushing it off on the blanket – marking it black – Emma curls up, hating how cold she is, not understanding it. _I'm right next to the freaking fire._

At the sound of someone poofing into the room, Emma looks up in the direction of the teleporter – or teleporters, as it turns out. Regina, on seeing her awake, frowns, Maleficent immediately stalking over.

"You're cold, I can see you shivering."

"Don't really have any clothes right now," Emma tries to be cheerful as she greets the dragon, not at all expecting her to sit down beside her, wrapping her in her arms. Despite the embarrassment of having no clothes, however, the reason quickly makes itself known as Maleficent reveals herself to be a furnace. Curling up into her deliberately, leaning at an awkward angle, Emma bathes in the warmth before speaking. "So, what happened?"

"You have dragon magic entwined into your soul, taken from another dragon – presumably, my daughter."

"What?" Emma look up at Maleficent, horrified and then vaguely aroused as she gets a good look at what she internally calls _evil cleavage._ Maleficent's lip quirks, but the amusement disappears as a kind of tangible despair overtakes her.

"Changing time now would have drastic effects. I know this magic, unfortunately. The Apprentice is a cunning and wretched fool of an immortal. But he is clever, I'll give you that. I've already explained it to Regina."

"Really?" Emma glances at Regina, whose moved to sit in her armchair stiffly. A sudden barrage of feelings – sadness, guilt, anger, annoyance, worry, heart-ache, happiness, joy – leaves Emma feeling strangely woozy and she dazedly looks to Maleficent, who's still a furnace emitting warmth and sadness. "What…"

"Dragon senses, dear. It'll take a little time to get used to them. The Apprentice made sure the magic stabilised within the womb, but being sent to a Land Without Magic must have supressed everything." Maleficent sighs again, before tucking a lock of hair around her ear. "Regina is always like that, I'm afraid."

"What am I always like?" Regina questions sharply.

"A maelstrom of emotion," Maleficent elaborates. "All humans are like that, unless they're particularly psychotic or have training in certain meditative techniques. You'll have to stay some time, so that I can teach you to handle it. Regina has informed me that in Storybrooke, I have yet to be resurrected from my own ashes."

"Dragons can do that?"

"Anyone can do it, it is just far easier with dragons. So long as we aren't completely mauled or physically incapable of living, then we can be resurrected."

"You're sort of ash and dust," Emma frowns at Maleficent, who smiles a little, despair lifting a little as a kind of quiet amusement takes over.

"Even better. It's _dragon dust_ , after all. Don't worry about me, dear, Regina will bring me back to the land of the living when you return to your time."

Emma shifts against Maleficent, sitting up and coughing lightly as she adjusts her blankets, Maleficent chuckling as she presumably gets a whiff of what Emma's feeling right now as her thoughts take a nosedive into the gutter, including her and Maleficent and then Regina, as she catches sight of her again. _Don't, stop,_ she orders herself. _Stop drooling over Henry's mom_.

"So, did you figure out a way to get us back then, while I was…out?"

"In a way. Unfortunately, until we have proof that Zelena isn't here, or that she _is_ , for that fact," Regina slumps in her chair, frustration literally leaking from her pores, "we cannot approach Rumple."

"Approach me about what, dearie?"

Emma shrieks at the sight of him, pressing into Maleficent as Gold grins at them all – and now she can _see_ why his Storybrooke name is Gold. _It's the colour of his fucking_ _ **skin**_ _._

Regina rolls her eyes, "Have you ever heard of knocking?"

"Hypocrite," Gold says quickly, before peering at Emma, who struggles to keep the blanket up and a hold on Maleficent to hide her _very naked body_. "Don't worry dearie, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

Emma looks at him in horror, "You came in when I was asleep and _looked?_ Fucking _pervert_."

Immediately, Gold's eyes widen and he loses his bravado, "I- now I didn't mean that, girlie, I just-"

"I've not seen you this flustered in decades," Regina grins, enjoyment befuddling Emma more than angering her.

Gold glares at her briefly, before pausing. "Decades? Now _that's_ an interesting term."

Regina's enjoyment dies.

"As much as we enjoy your company, Dark One," Maleficent speaks finally, languidly twisting her head around, staying in place facing the fire for Emma's sake. "It _is_ rather rude of you to barge in on us like this."

"But I heard my name and you know what _that_ usually means," Gold grins, before glancing at Emma. "Would you like me to summon you some clothes, dearie? Regina and Maleficent do enjoy their little pleasures together, I know, but dignity isn't something to be trifled with."

"If it's free," Emma glares at him over Maleficent's shoulder. Gold giggles – _giggles_ – before snapping his fingers. Immediately, Emma feels herself dressed in restrictive clothing and looks down with a pained breath to see a white, long-sleeved shirt covered in a tight blue and black lace corset, a matching blue skirt splayed about her, pulled up a little where she lays against Maleficent, with a black scarf wrapped Esmerelda-style around her waist. She can feel shoes and flips the end of her dress up to glance at the simple leather boots. "Thank-you."

Gold giggles again, giving a flamboyant little bow, "Was _nothing_ , dearie – what was your name again?"

"None of your business-" Regina starts.

"-Esmerelda," Emma finishes, "Though people call me Esmer."

Gold seems slightly disappointed, soon confirmed as a nearly-undetectable…feeling, drifted over. "Not Emma?"

Emma raises an eyebrow, playing her game, "Why would they call me Emma? That's not my name."

"Just asking, dearie," Gold looks to Regina. "So, you're a time-traveller."

"How did you guess?" Regina frowns.

Gold rolls his eyes, "'Decades'? Honestly Regina, it's like you're trying to get caught – and those clothes," he frowns, "is that _really_ the fashion of the Land Without Magic?"

"Yes," Regina says strongly, "and you look much better for it, in the future. Trust me. Now, are you going to help us?"

Gold giggles. "Us. You and the girlie, I'll presume. Yes, I can help, for a price."

"I can tell you about Baelfire," Emma offers in a blank voice. Immediately, Gold is by them, Maleficent the only thing stopping him from reaching out to throttle her. The dragon growls, causing him to scitter back one step, before he looks to Emma.

"What do you know about my son?"

"I know that he's a father," Emma replies, "and I know that's all I'm saying until you provide us a way to get home." Gold growls, but it's a human growl and no way intimidating when Maleficent had just done so a few seconds beforehand. "Deal?"

"I get to ask questions. You answer _all_ of them."

"No," Regina cuts in, "That's not possible. You know you'll have to take a memory potion and potentially, things you hear could hypothetically convince you that remembering would benefit you better than forgetting. Unlike Maleficent, you actually have a chance at changing things before events happen."

"And what happens to Maleficent?" Gold spits, angry enough to shake.

"I am to be resurrected, once they return, Rumplestiltskin," Maleficent says, danger emanating from her even in her lowered voice. "I was slain before the curse broke."

"And that's all you get to know," Regina interrupts again. "Method to getting home. Now."

Gold gnashes his teeth for a few seconds before calming. "The Black Fairy's wand is said to be able to replicate any magics it comes across. As a magic wielder, Regina shall be able to use it. But I need to _check_ and _you_ need to make sure you haven't changed events."

Emma shares a glance with Regina then and Gold's expression becomes one of impatience.

"What have you done?"

"It's not us, just…the caster of the spell," Regina purses her lips, a slightly vulnerable, yet hateful expression appearing on her face. "Your most powerful student."

"…Regina, I'm hardly going to _rank_ my students, that's ridiculous." Gold rolls his eyes. "Though, I presume, from your face, you're talking about Zelena. What's the little green monster done this time?"

"She's trying to kill or otherwise take away Regina's happy ending," Emma explains, looking away from the Dark One as she remembers the cellar and the straw-filled cage within the cellar. "We're not sure if she came through or not, though. Last time we checked, she was imprisoned and her magic broach thingy in a box in Regina's vault. But we saw her magic head off to the ritual site, make a portal and here we are."

"Ah. She's definitely here then. The mechanics of imbuing your magical essence within a breakable item, etcetera, etcetera. Maleficent could have told you that."

Emma shuts her eyes, groaning as she rests her head against Maleficent's hot shoulder. Maleficent pats Emma lightly.

"We'll figure this out, dear, don't worry."

Emma snorts, but the action has unexpected consequences, flame briefly flaring out her nostrils. Eyes wide, she jerks up, batting out the flames that had caught on her dress.

" _Oooh_ , now _that_ is interesting, dearie. Part dragon?"

"Of a sort. The Apprentice meddled."

Maleficent's words cause Gold to immediately huff, temper returning. "I despise that man."

"Sounds like he's one to be despised," Emma breathes, accidentally breathing in the smoke coming off her dress before she looks to Maleficent. "Will that happen all the time?"

"Your internal fire will go out eventually, if this keeps happening – that's when you'll be in trouble. Being able to understand how your previous normality differs from being a dragon will madden you beyond reason. I, at least, have had practice in restarting my fire." Maleficent runs her hands over Emma's cheek, causing her to flush both with heat and _heat_ , the intimacy of the act – not one Emma ever does, with _anyone_ – embarrassing her and drawing her in like a moth to light. "You know, I think I know what would cure it." She gains a devious smile and Emma briefly gravitates towards her, before Regina snaps her out of it.

"Stop! Maleficent, you need to _ask_."

Maleficent smirks, looking to Regina, "Would you join us, Regina?" Emma senses Regina's feelings as she both angers and becomes aroused, the feedback setting her off too – and then Emma senses Maleficent and it triples in intensity.

Gold giggles.

"I'd better be off, then! I'll return tomorrow evening, give you some alone time!" He pops out of existence and Emma breathes in a deep, shaky breath, looking to Maleficent.

"What-"

"I can share my own fire, dear, but the way it's transferred without it being a parent-child experience is…physical." Her eyes brighten and a lightbulb turns on in Emma's brain, her mouth dropping open.

"Are you propositioning me?"

"For the good of your own health, dear."

Regina snarls in her seat, sitting up. "Mal, stop-"

"Stop what, my Queen? Leaving you out?"

Emma looks back and forth between the two women, eyes still wide as can be. "You want to have a threesome?"

" _Yes_ , she wants to have a threesome, Miss Swan," Regina snaps, "A _ménage à trois_ , sex for all three of us to enjoy."

"…wow," Emma can't help but say. "I mean- just, _wow_."

Maleficent laughs and mischief radiates from her being, before she kisses Emma. Emma is quick to gasp a breath just before their lips meet and then there's… _fire_ , flowing between them and Emma feels that familiar magic in her chest reaching through her again, before seeing Regina disappear angrily in a puff of purple smoke. Ending the kiss, Emma sits up, feeling heavy and almost drunk on fiery magic.

"Where did she go?"

"Let her be," Maleficent attracts her attention and Emma stares at the smudged lipstick, before she feels fire lick at her lips, from inside her mouth. Maleficent reaches up, gently pushing her jaw up, mouth closing. "The transference isn't complete. It has to be anchored in you. You aren't old enough a dragon to do it yourself."

"Oh, uh…" Emma flounders briefly before seeing Maleficent's hooded eyes – not so tired anymore, so much _darker_ and full of _wanting_ – and deciding, to hell with it. She's single, Regina has every right to get angry at being invited to join them when she's in a committed relationship and- well…

Maleficent did say it was for the good of her health.

Later, lying in Mal's bed – _"Call me Mal, now, my Princess. It's the least you can do after what we've just done together."_ – Emma curls up in her blankets, mentally prodding the little fire she can almost…see, inside of her. Her magic seems so much easier to feel now and access, a problem, in truth; but Mal promises that Regina won't let her run wild for long in the future and neither will she, once she's resurrected. The flame is in the epicentre of her magic, the eye of an impossible storm of energy, though it reaches up and out. Bringing a hand to her neck, just a little further back than Emma had expected, is a bite already healed over. Mal had apologised immediately afterwards, jerking back as if scalded, but Emma had easily welcomed it – though, to be fair, she'd been a bit put out that Mal had stopped, really.

Observing it now, feeling it in her skin and sensing that… _bond_ , Emma wonders if she's made a mistake before she feels something else. Frowning a little, ignoring how Mal wraps her arm around her tighter, Emma reaches along a tiny thread away from Maleficent. Briefly, she wonders if it's from her parents, a true love child thing, but as soon as she thinks that her magic inside revolts, as if it knows what she's thinking and doesn't agree. Pulled back, her magic reaches, reaches _far-_

She feels like she's underwater, dreaming. Her parents are in station, her mother holding onto her baby brother – _ignore it, his name is Neal and that's_ _ **fine**_ – and conversing with not only Gold, but Robin Hood and Belle too. They look at the television that connects to the cameras and after watching, Emma looks back to Zelena's cell. Zelena's empty cell. She looks back to her parents but her attention is drawn to Gold, who's staring at her, ignoring how her parents, Robin and Belle are trying to communicate with him.

 _'_ _We went through the portal,'_ she tries to speak. _'Regina and I are in the Enchanted Forest. Zelena is here with us, but we don't know where. We're with Maleficent. Resurrect her-'_

She feels a sharp tug and stops talking, Gold nodding sharply right before her magic fully pulls her back into her body.

"What happened, princess?" Mal murmurs sleepily, "You were projecting there, quite literally. I wasn't aware you had the ability to send your soul anywhere."

"I think it's because- my parents. I wanted to see them and my magic is…it's everything. I can feel it inside me, like- like water in a bag? Does that make sense? It led me to them."

"You are remarkable. True love children can astral project to their parents. I wonder if Lily ever tried…" Mal falls silent and Emma, a little less sleepy, finds that little string again, the one that is tiny and doesn't lead to Maleficent like the bite does. Following it from her wrist – _that can't be a coincidence, my dandelion tattoo is there_ – she finds herself standing on a balcony, overlooking the Enchanted Forest.

"How did you get there?"

Emma twists, eyes widening at the sight of Regina in full Evil Queen regalia. _'You can see me?'_

"Of course I can, you're standing right-"

Her magic tugs sharply, the Evil Queen disappearing before she reappears in a library, by a fireplace. Regina sits in a chair, reading a book. Emma stays silent, not making any move to make her aware she's there. _If the Evil Queen can see me, then Regina must be able to. But how? Why are we connected like this?_

Gently this time, Emma fades, returning to her body slowly.

"Why am I connected to Regina?" She asks Mal, who chuckles, the vibrations reverberating through Emma's back.

"As I said, people have multiple soulmates in their lifetime. Just because this Robin is her soulmate, that doesn't mean you aren't as well, my Princess."

"Right…" Emma mutters, as if it hadn't been some kind of _revelation_. "Right."

The next morning, Mal helps Emma get dressed into her courtesy-of-Rumplestiltskin Enchanted Forest garb and tie her hair up, before leading her through the castle to where Regina is already sitting in the armchair that she must have basically claimed for herself.

Upon seeing them, Regina sneers. "Have a nice night, Miss Swan?"

"She had a glorious night," Mal answers for her, voice haughty. "Maybe if you'd joined us, you would have too."

Regina goes to reply, but quickly, her eyes focus in on the bite on Emma's neck. Immediately, anger begins to radiate from her, a glare appearing as she looks to Maleficent.

"What the actual _hell_ , Maleficent? A mating bite? Are you _seriously_ that-" Regina cuts herself off, breathing in deeply before looking to Emma with clear eyes. "Miss Swan. Emma. Did she ask you before biting you?"

"Not really- but it's fine!" Emma quickly adds as Regina stands, whole posture screaming _defensive mama bear._ "Really, it even helped me discover a few things about my magic and I, uh, projected to Storybrooke."

Regina pauses, confusion wafting off her body. "What? You astral projected?"

"Yeah," Emma looks to Mal for confirmation, who nods. "I saw them all at the station. Zelena's definitely here. Gold could see me – I asked him to resurrect Maleficent."

"He'll want a price for that, later, you should have left it to us," Regina admonishes quickly, before crossing her arms. "So, Zelena is _definitely, definitely_ here?"

" _Definitely_ ," Emma says staunchly, deciding not to mention how she's sort of soulmates with Regina and the Evil Queen, who definitely saw her last night. "How do we find her?"

"She's my sister, so we could use a location spell, of sorts," Regina offers, while Mal saunters around her, going to sit on her chair. Giving her a last look, Regina moves towards Emma, motioning her to follow her.

"Why are you so mad?" Emma asks tentatively. Regina puffs air out her nose, exasperation faint but there. "Is this about the bite?"

"You don't know what it really is, or what it's about. Mal should have had some more control but…I think everything made her lose control." Regina says softly, abruptly stopping and turning to face Emma, taking her hands. "Emma. What do you know of dragons?"

"Uh…not much. I know about the fire inside, kinda…"

Regina squeezes her hands. "Emma, that, on your neck, is a mating bite. It means Mal has claimed you as hers – you have a bond that can't be broken easily. Even death will have a hard time taking you now, especially with all this other dragon stuff regarding- to do with you and Lily."

Emma swallows, remembering promptly that Regina just found out that she was a mother, yesterday. "Do you have a bite?"

"I do," Regina lets go of one of her hands, twisting her head and lifting her hair to show an almost invisible scar of tooth bites. "It connects me to Maleficent. It's…it's more than magic, Emma, it's like…the dragon version of getting married, but forever," she lets her hair drop, before carefully reaching up to Emma's neck. Emma just about twists then instinctively, before she catches herself and stays still, her words running through her head. _Dragon version of getting married. We're both sort-of-married to a dragon. Forever._

Regina's fingers gently trace her mark and it's an aphrodisiac, causing Emma to feel boneless, before Regina snatches her hand away, Mal appearing in a poof of smoke.

"You should mark each other," the dragon suggests.

"No," they say at the same time, pausing afterwards, eyeing each other before Regina continues. "I'm in a committed relationship."

"You're polyamorous, Regina, not monogamous," Mal says, "and if your partner can't handle that, then you shouldn't be with him."

"Stop it," Regina snaps, glaring as she lets go of Emma's remaining hand, pointing at Maleficent. "You need to learn about consent and relearn the definition of _explanation_. If I remember correctly, you were very careful I knew what I was getting into when we were together – why so impulsive when it came to Emma, last night?"

Emma bristles a little at that, but she does appreciate at what Regina's getting at, becoming more uncomfortable with the bite as time goes on. Almost as if she'd heard her thoughts, Mal's head snaps to her, expression one of full-on angst.

"Can…can we focus on Zelena, please?" Emma asks, wanting to change the topic.

"Good idea," Regina says, voice still tight. "You can come out now, Rumple."

A giggle follows and Emma whips around, vaguely terrified at how she hadn't even sensed him, let alone seen him. He steps out of the shadows, twirling a black wand with silver circlets around the end in a kind of weird, solar-system model type way.

"This is the wand that will get you home. Capture Zelena before the stroke of midnight, tell me about Bae, have Maleficent take a memory potion and then I'll hand it over."

Mal growls at his conditions, but Emma puts her hand on her arm, inwardly asking her to breathe. "I'll assume you've got a lead."

"Yes," Gold leans over a little, head straight. "Try the Evil Queen's dungeon. A little birdy told me that she arrived a year ago and never left. See you later; stroke of midnight!"

He pops away, which basically annoys Emma more than anything else. Looking back to Regina, she questions, "Why would she be in your dungeon?"

"I don't know," Regina says uneasily, "I don't remember who even vaguely looked like her."

"Well," Mal hums, "You'll have to do some digging. I need to get back to my- my cave. Cruella and Ursula are probably wondering where I am." She becomes stricken, then, Emma not even hesitating before giving her a hug, to Mal's surprise and brief discomfort.

"We'll find her in the future, Mal, we promise." _I know what it's like to know you're going to lose your baby, even if it's by your own choice._

"Yes," Regina nods sharply and to Emma's utter surprise, she wriggles her way into the hug, Emma slipping her arm around the Queen upon realising what was happening.

 _This is kind of nice_ , Emma thinks, before abruptly being pulled to Storybrooke. She can feel hands on her – _Regina and Mal_ – but she stands in Gold's shop.

"Miss Swan."

 _'_ _Gold, what are you doing?'_

"I needed a reliable way to contact you. Knowing that you can astral project and following the trail left behind, I was able to summon you, for a short amount of time." Emma opens her mouth to argue, glaring, but he shakes his head. "There's not enough time, Miss Swan. I need you to do something for me, or rather, two things."

 _'_ _Why?'_

"You owe me some favours," he says simply, leaning on his cane. "The first thing I need you to do is bring the Black Fairy wand when you come back – I am very susceptible to changes in time, Miss Swan and I was very aware of the wand I had stashed here in my shop, which is now not here – this, however, I have seen, isn't anything to do with you. Zelena is messing with time and it is having _effects_ , Miss Swan."

Hearing his explanation, Emma nods firmly, inwardly cursing Zelena for being such a jealous bitch in the first place.

"The second thing I need you to do is bring the lovely Maid Marian back from the dead."

Emma frowns warily, _'Who?'_

"Robin Hood's wife, Miss Swan."

Immediately, Emma is filled with horror. _'No! Regina-'_

"Regina's reaction is not your concern, Miss Swan. Tell her all you wish, but Marian must return. I'm calling this in, Miss Swan." He smiles thinly and then Emma is slamming back into her body, gripping the first person she finds – Regina instantly grabbing at her, too.

"What happened?"

" _Gold_ ," Emma shakes her head, "He's called in two favours. One, we can do easily. The second…what happens when you don't follow up on Rumplestiltskin's deals? And how the hell am I supposed to bring her back? I think she's already dead…"

"Who have you got to bring back, Emma?" Regina meets her eyes and Emma really, really doesn't want to tell her.

 _If I don't, she'll hate me forever._

"Marian Hood."

 _…_ _she hates me._

Regina is breathing in deeply, trying to contain her anger. Emma watches as she steps back, turning around and _screaming_ , throwing fireball after fireball at the walls of the great hall. Mal guides Emma to a chair, sitting her down as Regina falls to her knees, sobs audible and echoing.

"I need to go back to the cave. It's terrible timing, but I have to go," Maleficent says, before disappearing in a cloud of dark grey smoke. Emma watches her go, feeling a little angry on Regina's behalf, before she gets up and goes to Regina's side, _like Mal should be doing._

"We're not going to bring her back," Emma says, crouching down beside Regina after a moments consideration. Regina glances over, eyes red and her makeup running. "I'm not going to bring her back."

"Rumple will have his due another way if you don't."

"I'll deal with that. I'm the one stupid enough to make deals with him," Emma says with conviction before putting on her big-girl pants and moving to kneel by Regina rather than crouch, arms wrapping around her. Regina stiffens and Emma hesitates. "Is this okay?"

"It is not…but please don't let go."

 _I've been giving a lot of hugs lately._ Her past with Regina doesn't matter right now. This is her fault. She should have just accepted baby Neal's stupid name and not ran off _twice_ , getting them sucked through a portal. The only good thing that's come out of this is discovering Lily's identity and parentage. _Regina must be still really shocked about that._

Squeezing tighter, Emma waits until Regina starts to get up to let go, standing and then awkwardly playing with her dress.

"So…your dungeons. Any chance you can poof us in there like, without anyone realising we're not supposed to be there?"

Regina clears her throat, delicately wiping at her face. "Let me get my face on and a proper Enchanted Forest outfit." Emma dutifully waits, following Regina as she goes into a different room in the castle, cleaning a dusty mirror with her scarf before clearing her makeup off with a few precise flicks of her wrist. After brushing through her hair, she clicks her fingers, purple smoke drifting around her, changing her dress and jacket into an outfit similar to Emma's, but far, _far_ more pretty. Emma looks her up and down with wide eyes, wondering whether Regina's doing it on purpose.

 _Of course she's not, idiot, you're just too gay to function._

Swallowing, Emma allows herself one more big, sweeping look, taking in Regina in her thin, body-forming purple corset and skirt, long black sleeves reaching down like arrows to tie through her middle and index fingers over her palm. Her hair is swept up into a French twist and as Emma regains her ability to function, Regina leans forwards to apply eyeliner and black lipstick.

"Seems like a lot of work," Emma jokes.

"This is abysmally simple, compared to my usual Evil Queen elegance." Regina goes through a few finishing touches before turning to Emma. "…this won't do. Here." She snaps her fingers, a cloak quickly appearing over her shoulders, a beautiful dark blue that matches her corset. She comes forwards, reaching up to Emma's hair, pursing her lips. "May I?"

Emma shrugs, not quite sure why they have to look the part as Regina directs her to a chair, untying her hair and brushing it through gently before pulling it up into an updo, braiding a section and pinning it around the bun.

"Better," she announces, before taking Emma's hand, directing her to stand. "Now, so we aren't recognised," she waves her hand and nothing seemingly happens – and then of course, Emma looks in the mirror and sees someone else's face staring back at her.

"Wow. I didn't know you could do this type of magic."

"I don't usually squander magic like this, but I've had a long day."

"Yeah," Emma says softly, before drawing in her strength. "To the dungeons?"

Regina nods, a black cloak settling on her shoulders before purple smoke surrounds them.


	3. Chapter 3

The dungeons of Regina's castle are dark and damp, but surprisingly clean otherwise. Straw layers the grounds of the cells they pass and while the food doesn't look to good, no-one is being tortured, that Emma can see at least.

Walking through the halls, passing Black Guards with confidence, Emma wonders if that's all it takes – relaxed shoulders and a high chin. When they're stopped, every so often, Regina eyes him like the dirt on her boot.

"What would your queen say if she heard you were treating us like this?" She hisses, as if they should know exactly who she was. Emma is quick to copy her, the next time.

"Guard, do you honestly think we're wandering for the sake of it?" Emma questions, voice cool with a touch of derision. "If we wanted your opinion, well…we don't. Leave us."

They look in every cell and sometimes, Emma thinks she recognises some people – people from Storybrooke, that she'd seen on the street or behind a counter at a store. _They live better lives in Storybrooke than they do here._ Eventually, Regina visibly begins to tense, her aggravation becoming far more noticeable to the Black Guards that patrol, making them glance at each other as if they question their story.

Emma doesn't give up hope, however. If Zelena is in the dungeon, they'll find her and find her, they do.

She's dirty and her hair is tightly braided away from her face, her dark green dress visible through her thin cloak. Her cellmate isn't much better, wrapped in a dark pinkish-red cloak that is far thicker than Zelena's, but by no means waterproof. Mould grows on the edge and Emma grimaces as they come to a stop outside the cell bars.

Zelena glances up. "And who are you? Does Her Majesty let her allies ogle her prisoners like animals in a zoo, now?"

"I want them both," Emma speaks before Regina can, glancing at her. "Do you think Queen Regina would sell them to us?"

Regina eyes her strangely, before replying slowly, "I don't think she'd sell them. She isn't the trafficking type. Perhaps she'd loan us them?"

"I like the sound of that. We'll take it up with her later when we return them – I want them now." Emma looks to the cell door, only needing to mentally murmur a command to her magic before it unlocks the door. Zelena's staring at them in only half-disguised horror and the red-cloaked woman weakly raises her head. "You get that one. I'll get green."

"She looks feisty," Regina says mildly, going over to the red-cloaked woman and grimacing deeply before offering a hand. The woman looks at it in strange confusion before taking it, Regina pulling her to her feet and disappearing in a puff of purple smoke. Emma looks to Zelena.

"Get up."

"Why? Where are you taking me?"

"Not us? I thought you prison-types were supposed to be attached to your cell-mates," Emma says, voice still detached, aloof. She waits for Zelena to stand, silent. The Wicked Witch of the West eventually does so, Emma thinking of the stone chamber of Maleficent's castle and asking her magic to take them there. White smoke billows around them, before they appear there, Regina already handing the red-cloaked woman a cup of tea.

"What took you so long?" she questions, before reaching over and slapping a cuff over Zelena's wrist. Zelena immediately tries to take it off, Emma raising her eyebrows as she fumes.

"Take it off!"

"No." Regina states, before pointing to the sofa. "Now, sit, or you go straight back to your cell with it still on."

Zelena looks to Emma, who glances at Regina.

"Esmer?" Regina starts, voice deceptively calm. "This woman is apparently named Marian. How coincidental is that?"

"Oh, that's…actually, that's quite strange," Emma tries to think up an alias for Regina, but all she can think of is the Wizard of Oz. "Feisty didn't give me her name."

Regina holds out a cup of tea to Zelena, the epitome of uncaring. "I'm Lazara. This is Esmer. You've already met Marian, presumably."

Zelena purses her lips angrily, taking the tea. "Nancy."

"Liar," Emma says, immediately. "Try again."

Zelena looks at her, frowning slightly. "Glinda."

"Lie."

"Dorothy."

"Lie."

"Lena."

"Lie."

"Leave her be," Regina interrupts as Zelena goes to try her again. "Esmer, would you inform our host that their catering skills are appalling?"

Emma frowns, inwardly admitting she's hungry, but they have to get Zelena properly captured, "Aren't they…" _at the cave with Cruella De Ville and Ursula_ "with _them?_ "

Regina pauses before sitting down in her chair. "I doubt Cruella and Ursula would like you showing up, no, apologies, my dear."

Huffing slightly, Emma sits in Mal's chair, seeing as her sofa is taken right now by their two guests. Leaning back, she retreats inwards, making the conscious decision to follow the bond she has with Maleficent, projecting to her.

Appearing in a cave, Emma isn't quite as stunned as she could be when she sees Lily's egg. Looking at her friend before she's even born is…weird, but strangely comforting. Crouching down in front of it, she reaches out her hand to it, wondering if she's corporeal enough to touch it. She's answered when the egg sits solidly against her fingers, a buzz of magic warning her off touching. Despite how her bite and inner-fire react to that, Emma takes back her hand, looking around for Mal, who she sees just off to the side, frowning at her.

"You shouldn't touch."

 _'_ _You should have food in your castle,'_ Emma shoots back. Mal immediately shakes her head and Emma gets away from her egg, easily feeling when Mal becomes more comfortable. _'Protective mama dragon.'_

"How is Regina?"

 _'_ _Fine-ish. We've just spent the last couple of hours searching her dungeons, lucking out. We found Zelena. We also found Marian. They're in your castle drinking tea, with no idea who we are because of some weird face-mask.'_

"That sounds like a recipe for disaster. Zelena seems to be a powerful witch. Your disguises will not fool her for long."

 _'_ _Regina put one of those magic-blocking cuffs on her,'_ Emma explains. _'I don't know where she got it, but Zelena took ages to actually stand up. Stubborn, just like Regina.'_

"I will endeavour to bring you an afternoon snack, but no more. I cannot afford to leave the cave for so long again. Ursula and Cruella have limits."

 _'_ _Okay. Thanks, I guess. See you later.'_ Emma waves before shutting her eyes, willing herself back into her body. It's pretty easy to astral-project when you're so close to your magic, like she is. Emma wonders if it's like this for Zelena and immediately pities the witch, imagining life with a cuff and no way to feel or access her magic. It's like a drug.

"Esmer, you need to stop doing that."

"I got food. Our host is popping over briefly later, but she can't afford to leave right now," Emma explains, tummy rumbling. Frowning, she rubs it, bringing her feet up onto the seat as she deigns to ignore it. _I've done it enough when I was a kid._

"Why can't she leave?" Zelena butts in obnoxiously before beginning to choke. Emma looks at Regina sharply, but stops herself from calling out her real name, though it's on the tip of her tongue. _Don't do that!_ She thinks at Regina and for some reason, Regina glances at her briefly before looking back at Zelena.

"You are our guest, but we are guests, too. Don't question us on our host and maybe I'll let you breathe," Regina lets up the chokehold, Zelena sucking in a breath. Marian, beside her, sips her tea.

"Why did you take us from the dungeons?"

"A deal," Regina says, voice far less malicious as she looks at Marian. "Rumplestiltskin ordered us to collect you. Someone's been meddling with powerful magic recently and apparently, you were both caught up in it."

"What are you going to do with us?" Marian continues, voice stronger, even though there's an obvious strain to it. _She's ill_ , Emma thinks. "Are you going to kill us? Hand us over to him?"

"No, they're not," Zelena looks between them, realisation filling her eyes just as fast as anger. "Regina. Emma. I never expected you'd be brining Marian here back too."

Regina chuckles darkly and by Marian's reaction, she must have removed whatever weird glamour was on them. "Trust me, it wasn't my idea. Rumple's calling in a debt from Emma." Marian, while she speaks, stands, throwing her tea at Regina, who easily redirects it to the ground, rushing back around the sofa.

"Zelena, get away from her! It's the Evil Queen!"

"She's my sister," Zelena glares at Regina, "She won't kill us. In fact, she's here to bring us forwards in time."

"We're from the future," Emma helpfully adds, giving Marian a ' _I'm sorry this is really awkward'_ face. "Robin and Roland are there, if that makes you feel any better."

Marian falters, "Robin? Roland?"

"Yes, they're in the future," Regina says tightly, "Though, we would greatly appreciate if I spoke to them first, before you come rushing in to play happy families. A lot has happened and despite a dark curse, you've still supposedly been dead for thirty years, in their minds."

"Dead?" Marian gasps, "But- but I'm _alive._ "

"Only because Zelena meddled," Regina clenches her jaw, sad anger rolling off her in waves. "You really are out to ruin my life, aren't you, Zelena?"

"What else am I going to do?" Zelena rolls her eyes before looking to Emma. "Something's different about you. Last time I knew, your magic was barely there, let alone under your control."

"Things change," Emma shakes her head, just wanting to get back home. _Where is home, anyway?_ Looking over at the fireplace, Emma thinks of the fire inside her, stolen from Lily. _How are we even going to find her? She's like me, she won't leave a trail if she can help it. She was always running away._ But Emma doesn't want Regina to lose her daughter – for Mal to believe in them when they say they're going to find her, then they don't.

"Sit down, Marian," Regina sighs. "Rumplestiltskin comes at midnight, unless we call him earlier. A few things still have to be done, too."

"We'll have to explain the curse better than that," Emma puts in for Marian's sake. "A lot is different."

"Yes, a lot _is_ different – Rumplestiltskin is the same as ever though, ruining everyone's happiness just to further his goals." Regina mutters darkly, leaning back in her chair, clutching her tea tightly. Emma knows Regina doesn't appreciate pity, but she feels it all the same.

 _He's really toeing the line, now_ , she thinks tiredly, watching Marian as she voluntarily sits. Zelena tries tugging at her magic-blocking cuff, but it doesn't work and Emma idly watches her.

"Why did you get yourself captured?"

Zelena looks up, eyes narrowing, "You won't get anything out of me."

Emma gives an exasperated huff, quick to catch herself before she blows fire out of her mouth, hand clapping to her lips. Regina glances over, pursing her lips.

"You need to get that under control."

"It's not as if I've had a lot of time to try," Emma glares lightly. "Give me a chance." Regina rolls her eyes and Emma snaps. "Hey, it's not as if I asked for this."

"No, your parents probably are at fault there, as per usual," Regina drawls. "It'll be a true wonder if Lily can even transform after what's been done to her."

"That's not my fault. I'd give it back to her if I could."

"What are you two on about?" Zelena scoffs. "Who's Lily?"

"None of your business," Regina growls, "Just shut up."

"Regina," Emma attracts her attention again, "Maybe we could just leave them here, lock the doors or something? You could leave and come back later."

Regina shakes her head. "No. I'm not leaving Zelena here on her own."

"Yes, god knows what wickedness I've been plotting," Zelena rolls her eyes, shaking her cuffed wrist. "It's not as if I'm handicapped." Zelena and Regina start to squabble and Emma sighs, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, wondering if she should just project somewhere to get away from the fighting. _I shouldn't run,_ she thinks, trying to control herself.

Instead of projecting herself, Emma instead delves deep inside, though it takes a few attempts. It's like meditating, but the presence of her magic and the flame is easy to focus on and see behind her eyelids. Approaching the little flame, Emma prods gently. _Hi?._ The flame reaches out to her, encasing her and engulfing her in a pleasant warmth. _Can we make a deal or something? You stay down inside and every so often, I let you out, walk you around._ The fire is pleasant at her words, almost…agreeable. _Great, thanks. So, no more fire breath unless I want it?_

The fire presses a hot kiss to her forehead and Emma sees…shape, lines and curves and bright, yellow eyes.

 ** _Your Queen wants you,_** the dragon says in her own voice, but with a gravelly background. Emma watches it as it pushes her out-

"Emma, please wake up," Regina's voice is desperate and Emma can smell her fear.

"She won't wake, you know that, not until she's done," Zelena says, voice almost sympathetic. "Just let her be, sis."

Emma feels a hand squeeze her wrist before the sensation of fingers running across her cheek dazzle her into wakefulness, eyes fluttering open as Regina tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. Upon seeing her wake, Regina's upset visibly relaxes.

"Emma."

"What happened?" Emma frowns, sitting up and immediately wincing at the crick in her neck that usually comes with sleeping wrong. The fire is significantly lower and Zelena is in Regina's chair, Marian lying sideways on the sofa, watching them with half-open eyes, clearly having been interrupted from a nap. "How long was I out?"

"Hours. I didn't think to try waking you." Regina withdraws her hands, standing. "I spoke to Maleficent when she came over earlier with food. She has a memory potion on hand that she's already taken by now. We thought it might be more ideal to summon Rumple now rather than later, so we don't meddle with anything else."

Emma's stomach clenches painfully at the mention of food and she gets up from Mal's chair, peering around Regina's shoulder to where a roast chicken sits on a plate, a spit through it.

"We saved you some," Zelena waves her hand magnanimously, as if she was doing Emma a favour.

"Thanks," Emma goes over, tearing off the drumstick, the chicken lukewarm by now but still tasty. Regina sits on Emma's chair, as she vacates it and Emma sits on the ground, figuring that Regina must have been standing for a while – or maybe she sat on Maleficent's throne. "So, are we going to summon him?"

"Once you're done," Regina replies, Emma nodding to that as she finishes off the drumstick, using a handy knife to carves off a few slices of chicken for herself.

"Is it true that the Land Without Magic uses stored lightning to power things?" Marian questions. Emma briefly pauses before finishing her mouthful, nodding.

"Yeah. We call it electricity though."

"Do Robin and his Merry Men use these facilities?" Marian then asks.

"Uh…no? I mean, they have phones, for emergencies," Emma glances at Regina, who on first glance seems fine, but second glance makes Emma aware that she's the literal definition of _tension_. "They camp out in the woods. I know that Robin and Roland have rooms at- well, uh…"

"My house," Regina fills in, not looking away from the fireplace. "I've already done Marian the liberty of informing her with whom her husband found happiness with. She expressed her displeasure, but we've since come to an alternative arrangement that Robin would probably agree to, as well."

"And?"

Marian sits up, rubbing her eyes briefly. "I love Robin, but things have happened – time has passed. Roland will stay with me, when we return, spending time with Robin at my leisure – and the Evil Queen, too."

"She's not evil anymore," Emma licks her fingers of chicken juice, glancing between the two women. Marian shrugs.

"It is still to be proven to me. I have no reason to believe anything she says. I need to see it all with my own eyes, first, before making any…grammatical changes."

"You're rather…" Emma starts, not finishing. _Literate, for an Enchanted Forest person._

"Rather what?" Marian looks at Emma with surprisingly beady eyes, a small anger flaring. "Say what you think, witch."

"I'm a princess, actually," Emma corrects, before coughing. "Sorry. I, uh…have a lot of these kind of…biases, that come from growing up in the Land Without Magic. I just noticed that you speak pretty fancy for someone who supposedly lives in the forest with the Merry Men."

"Unlike you," Marian claps back, stunning Emma. "Your speech is full of…short language and incorrect fashions to words. It has rhythm to it that I have not seen before and your accent tells more than you might realise. I would not have guessed you were from the Enchanted Forest, not like how I believe the Evil Queen must hail from the Southlands."

"The what?" Emma frowns, noticing how Regina looks to Marian sharply.

"How can you tell?"

"I can hear it. Robin says my ear is remarkable but it's a matter of practice – my mother came from the Southlands, as did my grandparents on my fathers side. I did not inherit their speech patterns."

"No, you didn't," Regina says, surprisingly softly. "My mother didn't like me speaking that way."

"I can tell. You have many forced accents within your speech," Marian straightens her dress, reaching down to put her boots back on. "My mother used to call me _linda_."

A startled laugh escapes Regina, surprising Emma enough to stare. "You certainly are. I called my son _cariño_."

"That's what I called Roland – but was your son?" Marian questions, an amused lilt to her voice. Emma feels like she's missing out on something or she's a third wheel – _again_ – but something nags at her…

"Always, though he's very sly, sometimes."

"Are you speaking Spanish?" Emma interrupts. Regina glances at her.

"Yes," she looks to Marian, "The Land Without Magic is a melting pot of cultures, an entire world of its own. The language of the Southlands and derivatives are used in many countries around the world. I had no idea you were from the Southlands."

"I'm not, really," Marian shrugs, "I just kept the language. My _abuelita_ would strangle me from beyond the grave if Roland didn't know it."

"This is all nice and well," Zelena rolls her eyes, "but shouldn't we be getting back to the future? I don't know about you, but modern amenities sound very appealing after spending a year in prison."

"And why do you want to get back at all?" Regina narrows her eyes, "I thought you were bent on killing me."

"I _very_ much doubt that I'll be able to kill the Evil Queen of this time with this stupid thing on me," once again, Zelena shows off her cuff, standing. "Just summon Rumplestiltskin already."

" _Zelena_ ," Gold pops into existence beside Emma. "I thought I heard your dulcet tones. Finished meddling with time?" Zelena glares at the Dark One, Emma, Regina and Marian standing up hurriedly as he looks to Emma expectantly. "Tell me of Baelfire."

 _Oh great,_ Emma had forgotten about that part of the deal. Sighing, she pastes on a fake smile, "What do you want to know?"

"Do I find him? Does he forgive me? What's the name of this grandchild of mine? Do we all get along? Is he happy? Are we happy together?"

"Slow down, Rumple, let her think," Regina rolls her eyes. _Everyone's been doing that a lot lately,_ Emma thinks before clearing her throat.

"You do find him and make up with him. Last time I checked, you and your family are happy," Emma thinks of Belle, how she just isn't giving up on him, despite everything he's done. _She's family, just as Henry's family._ "I'm not going to tell you your grandchild's name, for their safety," Emma levels a look at Gold as he pouts. "You get along."

"Good," Gold smiles genuinely, before twirling his hand, Black Fairy wand appearing, a bottle appearing in the other. He holds it out to Regina, who shares a look with Emma before taking it. "Now, who is _she?_ " He points at Marian.

"You asked us to bring her back," Emma explains.

"But falling into the past – that was an accident," Gold points out.

"Yeah, well he summoned me or something, it was weird," Emma tries to brush it off, but Gold grabs onto her wrist.

"Really? Why would I do that? _How_ do I do that?"

Emma glares. "Let go of me."

"Let go of her," Regina backs her up, Black Fairy wand pressing into his neck. Gold lets go of Emma's wrist, backing away. "Stay back and take your damned memory potion."

 _At least I know what the bottle is now,_ Emma thinks, getting around the table to grip Zelena's free wrist, tugging her around the sofa, Marian following as Regina and Gold have a stare-down.

"One more answer, before you go," he plies, Regina regarding him. "Have I told you, yet?"

Regina frowns, "Told me what?"

Gold's eyes sparkle ominously before he shakes his potion. "After you're gone, I'll take this. Make sure to ask future-me about my theory on your mother."

"What about her?" Regina asks, frustration audible as she clenches her teeth. "What about my mother?"

"Regina," Emma decides to end things, "I want to go home. Come on. You can question him in the future."

"Yes, come on, Regina," Zelena says in an unsupportive voice. Regina glares at her before stepping away from Gold, past Maleficent's seating arrangement, back straightening as she waves the wand.

Nothing happens.

"Performance issues, dearie?" Gold giggles, "Clearly, you aren't powerful enough. Why not let the girlie try, or Zelena, even?"

"No," Regina snaps, glaring, "Zelena is not getting her hand on this wand."

"And the girlie?" Gold points at her with a clawed finger, Emma glancing at Regina.

"I could give it a try-"

"No, you're not ready," Regina shakes her head, "Your magic is volatile enough, right now."

Gold sighs, "Ah, well." He snaps his fingers and then they're in a tall room, full of dusty nick-knacks. "You're all dangers to this timeline, so you can all stay in here until you can get that portal open. Tata, dearies!" He disappears and Emma despairs, looking for an exit.

"Where are we?" She questions, before an overwhelming scent causes her to near-double over. _Oh my god, what is that smell?_ Emma looks to the other women, who don't seem to notice it at all.

"I think I know," Zelena looks up at the tall ceiling. "The Dark Ones Vault."

"That's not good," Regina immediately says, flicking the wand. "I have to get this working."

"What's so dangerous about a Vault?" Marian questions warily.

"Here's a different question," Zelena starts, voice devoid of amusement, "What kind of artefacts are so dangerous, that even Rumplestiltskin hides them away?"

Emma shivers, hand going to her mouth and nose, the dragon inside her chest whispering in her ear. **_Danger. We can smell it. Dead dragon. Find it. Set it free._** Emma clenches her fist before standing upright, the dragon filling her nose and eyes. Stalking further into the Vault, Emma ignores Marian calling her name, searching.

 ** _Find it. Find the dragon._**

"Emma, get back here!" Regina calls out as Emma starts up a set of stairs, going to the second level. **_Higher._** "Emma, what are you doing?"

"Dead dragon," Emma says shortly, stopping abruptly as the scent strengthens. She looks around, finding a tall ceramic pot, painted runes on the lid. **_Free the dragon_**. Emma reaches forwards, gripping the handle of the lid, lifting up-

Emma is blasted backwards, over the balcony, landing on Zelena and knocking them both the ground as a deathly roar fills the Vault, a bright scarlet dragon spirit, see-through and ethereal flying into the air.

"What have you done?" Regina shouts over the continual roaring it makes, Emma rolling off of Zelena as the dragon flies about knocking over artefact after artefact, furniture smashing and then burning as a jet of red-hot flame shoots from its mouth. "We need to leave!"

"Give Emma the wand!" Marian calls over the noise, Emma grabbing it from Regina before she can do anything. In her hand, the wand glows white, her magic reaching out and swirling, Emma barely even having to move it before her magic bursts out, creating the time portal that they'd fallen through.

"Go through!" Emma yells, Marian and Zelena quick to go through together. With a curling feeling of terror, Emma feels herself being dragged closer – and sees a golden pot on the ground near Regina's feet fly in. "Regina, go through!"

"Don't let the dragon follow us!" Regina calls, before leaping. Emma swallows, watching her go through, dragon inside her shouting, **_stop this! Let the portal go! Help the dragon escape this plane of existence! Let it be free!_**

"How?" She asks, out loud. "I need to keep the portal open, I need to go through!"

 ** _I will keep the portal open using dragon magic, but you must use your magic to help the dragon!_** Emma feels the dragon inside her roar, attracting the trapped dragon's attention, before the wand inexplicably stops glowing. But the portal stays open and Emma swallows, throwing the wand through before looking up at the dragon, not knowing what to do. **_Reach out with your magic and use your power to guide it to the Realm of the Dead._**

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Emma asks, feeling lethargic. **_That's the portal. Be quicker._** Pursing her lips, Emma reaches inside, touching her magic and conveying her intentions. Her magic bubbles inside of her before acquiescing to her request. When Emma opens her eyes, she's still in the Vault, but she's high in the air, level with the dragon that hovers, wings flapping a beat.

 _'_ _Follow me,'_ she orders as she feels her magic tugging her this way and that. A strange feeling passes through her as she appears in a dark dungeon room, the dragon immediately roaring – attracting the attention of the only person there.

The person turns, eyes widening at the sight of the dragon – which Emma can see isn't so much a spirit anymore. Then, to her surprise, the man laughs, hair turning into blue fire.

"Pearl! I see you have been freed-" Emma abruptly finds herself back in her own body then and she almost blacks out, suddenly so drained of energy.

 ** _You must go through the portal._**

"The portal," Emma mutters, looking up at the bright yellow, swirling mass. "Portal." She drags herself to her feet, staggering to it, just about falling through as she trips on her skirts. Upon being kicked out the other side, Emma lies on icy ground, eyes closing. _I could sleep for a week._ The cold though, quickly makes her grumble, the ice far colder than her dragon likes.

Sitting up, Emma looks around, frowning deeply at the sight of ice everywhere and- _I'm hallucinating._ Emma has to be hallucinating.

"Are you two holding _hands?_ "

Regina and Zelena grimace identical grimaces in sync, a new blonde woman in a pale blue-green dress with sheer, sparkling arms twisting to look at her.

"Who are you?" She questions, voice full of fear.

"Emma," Emma gets to her feet, almost slipping on the ice before a young teenage boy comes to her rescue. She looks him up and down, seeing soot and ragged clothes and quickly having a funny feeling they aren't in Storybrooke. "What's your name?"

"Lars, miss," he whispers, voice cracking. "Have you come to save us?"

 _Shit_ , Emma looks around more, noting a couple dozen kids all in little packs down what seems to be some kind of mining tunnel. Looking to the new blonde woman, Emma narrows her eyes.

"Who are _you?_ Are you the one terrorising these kids?"

The woman grows a horrified expression on her face. "No! No, of course not – you let me out of my cage," she motions to the shattered remains of some object, Emma quickly remembering the pot that had flown through from the Vault.

"You never answered the first question."

"Her name is Elsa," Regina says, "Marian is missing."

"Zelena went through the portal with her," Emma looks to the redheaded witch, who clutches Regina's hand tightly.

"Another witch took her. She landed on her when we came through – the kids hid me by accident."

A long silence reigns, before the blonde – Elsa – crosses her arms and looks at the children. "Where are we? Who is the witch?"

"The Black Fairy," Lars says, "She stole us from our beds and made us mine the fairy dust." He looks up and around, where the ice covers the walls. "She's going to be angry about this. Fix it, please!"

"Fix it!"

"Melt the ice, please-"

"Save us!"

Emma watches as the children plead to Elsa, who shakes and looks like she's about the have a panic attack. Walking forwards, being careful not to slip on the ice, Emma takes Elsa's shoulders, the children quieting as she meets her eyes.

"Can you melt the ice?"

Elsa's wide, terrified eyes tell Emma the answer before she even speaks. "I don't know- I don't know how. I've never been able to control it."

Emma gives her a tight smile. "That's alright. I've got some dragon fire in here," she pats her own chest, Elsa nodding quickly before watching as Emma steps back, shutting her eyes.

 _Want to do this?_

Her dragon is particularly unamused. **_You even have to ask?_**

Emma opens her eyes, before motioning for the kids to move. "Get out of the way."

"Emma-" Regina starts, "Dragon fire and fairy dust don't mix very well." Emma pauses, her dragon poised to produce flames. Regina moves backwards, Zelena following, not letting go of her hand and Emma notices then that she – Regina – has the Black Fairy's wand. _We must have opened a different portal, one previously opened to get to this realm_. "Everyone, come over to this side of the tunnel. Hurry."

The children scurry over, slipping and sliding on the ice. Elsa stays stock-still as they pass, Emma whispering, "Hey, they'll be fine. Don't worry. Your ice powers are nothing – I've barely got a hold of my dragon. She only woke up yesterday."

Elsa licks her lips, "You…you're a dragon?"

"Sort of. Half." Emma watches the last child slide over to Regina and Zelena. "Okay. You might want to stay back."

"I'm fine here," Elsa states, Emma just shrugging before facing the empty end of the corridor. Breathing in deeply, she feels an itch in her lungs, a flickering heat that roars upwards out of her gullet as she breathes out – fire following. Once the fire stops coming, she does it again, watching the ice melt and then the dust spark, popping with short _bangs_. When the majority of the ice is melted, water puddling at their feet, a figure appears at the end of the corridor.

Dressed all in black with a feathery headpiece, Emma guesses that this is the Black Fairy who'd kidnapped all the children behind her.

"What have we here? I thought there was something more to that other woman appearing out of nowhere," the Black Fairy eyes them all. "Now, I recognise the Evil Queen, even the Wicked Witch of the West…but you two, who are you?"

"None of your business. Where's our friend?"

The Black Fairy, shrugs gamely, sauntering forwards, only stopping when Emma deliberately breathes fire out of her nose. "Well. From the hair, I'd guess Maleficent's daughter."

"…no." Emma says frankly, not wanting to _at all_ go into the logistics of that, considering they'd slept together. "Just- no."

"Hmm, interesting." The Black Fairy's eyes trail over them all, a smile appearing on her face. "Children, come to mummy."

Emma feels a little sick at her words, glancing back at the kids huddled around Regina and Zelena. _Fuck, they even look like they're considering it._

"Regina, open the portal, get them back to the town," she orders, Regina quick to snap the Black Fairy's wand up, anger in her eyes. Purple magic swirls around the wand, a yellow-orange time portal opening. Some kids push through immediately, but the majority back away.

"It's interesting to see that kind of portal. I wasn't aware time travel was able to be done."

"Trust me, the price isn't good enough for what you get in return," Emma says, looking to the kids. "Just go through, if you really want to be saved. I'm the Saviour – it's what I do."

" _The Saviour?_ " The Black Fairy gasps, "Really?"

Emma glances back at her, "You've heard of me."

"There are lots of Saviours, dearie," the Black Fairy smiles in a slightly maniacal manner. "It isn't time for your Final Battle yet, however – I can tell. Just you wait though, Saviour. Take my children, do what you will, but I won't fight you until the true time comes."

"What are you on about, crazy?" Emma furrows her brow, glancing back to see the last child go through. Regina shuts the portal, shaking. The Black Fairy just watches. "Can we have Marian back?"

"Of course. Just follow me," the Black Fairy turns, disappearing around the corner. Emma turns back to her allies, Regina and Zelena advancing to stand beside Elsa.

"Is it just me, or was that…really weird?"

"It wasn't just weird, it was _mad_ ," Zelena puts in, "and they say I'm crazy."

"We need to get Marian," Regina says, before looking to Elsa. "Look, I don't know who you are or what you've done in the past to get yourself trapped inside a jar inside the Dark Ones Vault, but my town doesn't agree with housing evil beings unless they're on the path to redemption."

"I'm- I'm not evil," Elsa swallows, nerves filtering through Emma's system and causing her to shiver. _Is this what ice magic is like to us all the time?_

 ** _Unfortunately._**

"Good. Now, would you like to help us retrieve Marian or would you like to wait here? We'll come back for you," Regina assures.

"I'll help," Elsa curtseys lightly. "From one queen to another, thank-you for your acceptance."

"Oh, you're a Queen now?" Zelena raises an eyebrow.

"Yes, though…not a very good one. I froze my kingdom. I don't have…control." Elsa explains, before the Black Fairy's voice echoes through the mine.

" _Well, aren't you coming to retrieve your friend?_ "


	4. Chapter 4

The Black Fairy runs a hand over Marian's hair, the female outlaw yanking back as much as she can with bound hands. Emma bites her tongue to stop her from shouting – there's no use antagonising a so-far peaceful dictator. _She'll just collect more children once we're gone_ , Emma thinks, the – most likely true – thought leaving a metallic taste on her tongue.

"My most sincere apologies, Marian," the Black Fairy unties her bonds by hand, "You startled me, to be fair. Your arrival was unprecedented." Marian is untied and the woman immediately jerks away, returning to Emma's side, glancing warily at Elsa but taking her stance within their group as a sign that she's safe. "I'd like to make a deal with you, before you leave."

"Unfortunately, we can't do that," Regina snarks, still holding onto Zelena's hand. _I'll have to ask about that,_ Emma notes.

"Please, hear me out," the Black Fairy smiles and Emma is reminded of Gold and his own smiles, right before he says something terrible. "That's my wand. Return it to me and I'll track down Maleficent's child."

"How do you know about her?" Regina aims the wand at the fairy quickly, "How do you know?"

"The same way I know that Zelena has meddled with Marian's heart and her own," the Black Fairy states, before pulling a cloth off a crystal ball. Emma looks at Zelena, horrified.

"What did you do?"

"It was just a failsafe, in case you tried to kill me," Zelena rolls her eyes.

"Question the witch later," the Black Fairy says, waving her hand over the crystal ball. "This allows me to see what is happening in all the realms. When I realised Zelena was in two places at once, I kept an eye on her – which led me to you. Looking back to your arrival was childsplay. Lily, such a lovely name."

"Stop talking about her," Regina snarls.

"Defensive, sis," Zelena eyes her, "This isn't the first time that name's come up."

"Lily is the child of Maleficent and Regina, your niece, Zelena," the Black Fairy happily informs her. Zelena gapes.

"You have a _daughter?_ "

"I only found out recently and she's lost in the Land Without Magic, don't worry, happiness is far from my grasp." Regina mutters darkly, hand clenching around the wand.

The Black Fairy's smile widens. "If you give me my wand, I'll return her to you, safe and sound. I can even de-age her, if you'd like, retrieving her from after the incident with Emma's foster-family so that you can raise her and so the timeline isn't as disrupted."

"We can find her on our own, Regina," Emma urges her, "You don't make deals, remember?"

"This is different," Regina murmurs, glancing at Emma, vulnerability in her eyes. "If you could have Henry-"

"I did have Henry," Emma shakes her head. "I had a life with Henry. You gave that to me. It might not have been real, but I remember it and that's what I get, alongside a different set of memories, true memories. Lily's already lived her life, you're not the one who gets to decide whether that gets erased or not, even if you are her second mother."

Emma tries to make Regina understand, for her own sake. Regina fumes briefly, but nods sharply at her words, looking back to the Black Fairy.

"We'll be leaving now. You can try getting your wand back later."

The Black Fairy narrows her eyes but nods, before disappearing in a swirl of black smoke. Emma immediately looks around, nervous.

"What if she's waiting to jump in after us?" Marian says Emma's thoughts aloud.

"We won't let her," Elsa says, voice stronger than before, as if Regina resisting temptation – seeing strength – had bolstered her. Emma watches as snow appears in her hands, drifting, soft blue light ready and waiting. Stepping away from her a little, Emma calls her fire to her, the warmth in her chest soothing her nerves more easily than anything else Emma's ever taken.

"To Storybrooke," Regina says, squeezing Zelena's hand before swishing the wand, purple magic swirling before the time portal splutters to life. "Through you go," she motions to them, Marian taking the plunge before being followed by Emma.

Appearing on the other side, Emma is still not prepared for the landing, falling to the ground, where no-one breaks her fall, Marian having rolled out of the way, getting to her feet. Emma looks up at where the portal should be and is slightly disturbed by the soft, almost translucent white scar that stays floating in the air, almost invisible. Standing, Emma moves out of the way for Elsa, who trips up on her dress, reminding Emma that she's still wearing her own Enchanted Forest dress.

Looking around, Emma is quick to realise where they are, recognising Regina's back garden. As if hearing Emma think her name, the Queen herself appears, sister alongside, still linked by their hands.

"Why _are_ you holding hands?" Emma asks again.

"It's so she can't run off," Regina mutters, before looking around. "Good. I sent the children to the diner using the same thought process as I did to get us here. Hopefully, they're being looked after."

Elsa looks around, eyes wide. "Where is this?"

"My home," Regina replies as Elsa stares at the mansion. "Come on inside. I think I have some things that might fit you and Marian. Well, Marian, you might have to borrow from Miss Swan."

"Fit?"

"We dress differently, here," Emma explains, before following the sisters Mills into the house, Marian and Elsa coming to walk by her side.

"So this is…Storybrooke. Where will Robin and Roland be?"

"At the party," Emma replies, before remembering just why she'd left said party. "Uh, my brother, he…he got named today. Neal. Prince Neal."

"A simple name."

"Its previous owner was a hero," Emma says quietly, thinking back to her fathers speech, feeling mentally tired. Following Regina, the women eventually find themselves in Regina's walk-in wardrobe.

"Here," Regina offers Marian a crisp, white, short-sleeved button-up and a pair of jeans. "I don't know your size, but magic can help, if they're too big or small."

"Thank-you…" Marian takes the clothes with a furrowed brow and Emma clears her throat.

"Regina, maybe we should introduce our guests to the bathroom and how it works. Marian and Zelena have both been in prison for…a while. I'm sure they'd appreciate a shower."

"Yes," Regina holds out the Black Fairy wand. "Here. Go to your apartment and get changed. Do you remember how to teleport?"

"Yeah-" Emma remembers the sensation, thinking of her apartment…and then smoke clouds around her, Emma appearing in the loft of the apartment. "Oh."

Getting dressed into normal clothes is a good feeling, though she uses the wand to help remove her corset, changing into a pair of sturdy jeans, a tank and one of her new leather jackets – in blue – before briefly mourning the loss of her favourite boots and other new, brown leather jacket. _Maybe Gold has them stashed somewhere._

After raiding her parents' kitchen and eating through a whole box of chocolate rolls, Emma heads by foot to the diner, remembering belatedly that her hair is still up in Maleficent's magic hair-do. Touching it briefly as she goes through a mental checklist, Emma approaches the small hoard of people arranging the grubby mining children they'd rescued, not surprised by how they clamour upon seeing her.

"Emma!" Ruby calls out, "Do you know what's going on here? They just appeared-"

"I'll explain later," Emma says, shifting through the crowd, smiling as some kids hug her and pat her on the back. Upon entering the diner – balloons still up, her parents rocking a whining baby Neal – attention turns on her, Ruby shutting the door as she searches out Rumplestiltskin, who conveniently sits in the nearby booth. "Gold."

"Miss Swan," he puts his cup of tea down, looking up expectantly. "I see you have the wand."

"Here," she hands it over, before Snow speaks up.

"Emma, are you okay? You just ran out on us – what happened?"

"A lot. I'll need to talk to you later about it, actually," Emma looks down at her brother, reaching out to tickle his chest. "I've got stuff to do right now." Once more searching the diner, she finds Robin and his Merry Men just a little further into the diner. Steeling herself, she walks past her mother, approaching them. "Hey."

Robin looks up, frowning at the sight of her. "Emma. Where's Regina?"

"Okay, so, long story short, Zelena made the time portal work and went back in time. She meddled and we – as in, Regina and I – went back and retrieved her, along with the life she meddled with."

"Life?" Robin's frown deepens, the Merry Men looking to each other, murmuring. "Who?"

"…before saying, I'd like to inform you that she's already talked to Regina and they're tentatively on good terms and have talked about Roland," Emma watches his eyes widen, before he stands.

"Where is she?"

"Having a shower," Emma says shortly. "She spent a year imprisoned with Zelena, who has unfortunately used her as a failsafe in case we tried to kill her, messing with her heart and shit – we don't know what she's done, but…"

"But?"

Emma smiles a little, fidgeting, "Marian's alive and that's what matters."

If their lives had been a TV show, Emma thinks there would be some dramatic music as Robin gasps, going teary-eyed, smiling and putting a hand to his chest. She can taste his joy in the air, a beautiful happiness that tastes like salt. _No guilt whatsoever. He hasn't realised what this means._ Roland, in the booth beside them, stands up on the seat, frowning at Emma.

"Who's alive?"

"Your mom, sweetheart," Emma smiles at him, before remembering Marian's conversation with Regina. "She calls you _cariño_ , right?"

"Mama's really alive?" Roland looks to his father, who, upon Emma's further words, started to cry. "Papa?"

Emma watches Robin and Roland hug each other, the Merry Men cheering, the word spreading. All Emma can think of is how Regina fits into this mess. _She was heartbroken last night._

"Emma," her father puts his hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn. "Time travel? Really?"

"Yeah," Emma nods, yawning. "It's been a long couple of days."

"Days?" Henry attracts her attention and Emma sweeps over, hugging him tightly. "Woah, are you alright, Ma? You're burning up." He puts his hand to her forehead, Emma hesitant, not knowing whether to tell him about the dragon-

"Mal," she blurts out, remembering how she fits into it, eyes widening as she looks to Rumplestiltskin. "Gold, did you-"

"She's with Belle at the shop, recovering, dearie – resurrection of the kind _I_ deal in takes its toll."

Immediately, Emma thinks of the shop, squeezing her eyes shut and disappearing in a cloud of smoke, only to reappear with Henry still attached to her. He stumbles, eyes widening.

" _Woah_ , did we just teleport? I didn't know you could do that, Ma!"

"It's a new development," Emma says, before looking around, calling out. "Belle? Mal?"

" _In the back!_ " Belle calls.

"What's going on, Emma?" Henry questions as she feels out her bond with Maleficent, entering the back and immediately seeing her, lying on the bed. "Who's that?"

"Maleficent, apparently," Belle replies as Emma comes to crouch beside her, hand reaching out. "I wouldn't, she's _hot_."

Emma clutches Mal's wrist, uncaring of the heat emanating off her, enjoying it even. "I can deal with it. Mal, hey, wake up." Bringing her hand up to the bite, she shuts her eyes, reaching along it, tugging and prodding.

 _'_ _Wake up,'_ she says, Mal's stirring obvious. Opening her eyes and dropping her hand, Emma watches her eyelids flutter, before she sits up abruptly, bright, poison green eyes focusing on Emma-

"Who are you?"

-which is when, of course, Emma remembers that Mal supposedly took a memory potion. However, Maleficent is quick to pinpoint the bite on her shoulder, reaching out to touch it. Sucking in a breath, Emma feels a thrum of magic between them.

"I've forgotten something important."

"Yeah," Emma whispers shakily, "Uh, do you know- know how to reverse it? Because, I mean, it was a pretty important memory, in my opinion." Her lip tugs into something of a smile, Maleficent gazing at her for a long few seconds before taking back her hand and getting off the bed, Emma quick to stand as Maleficent looks around the back, heading for the bench, where potions and glass vials bubble away innocently.

"May I use your equipment, dear?" Mal looks to Belle, who waves her hand.

"Go right on ahead. Do you mind telling me what you're doing, however?"

"An antidote to a draconian memory potion," Maleficent starts preparing ingredients, rummaging around in what, to Emma, looks like a spice-rack.

"What did you forget?" Henry questions, before looking to Emma. "And what does that mark mean?"

"Uh, it's complex," Emma glances at Mal, wincing as she starts to speak.

"It's a mating bite. My mating bite. You humans call it _marriage_ , for lack of better terminology."

"You got _married?_ " Henry exclaims, Belle's eyes going wide, both shocked.

"I'm not the first one she's married, to be fair," Emma mutters, Mal glancing at her pointedly, the words _that's not their business_ literally travelling through their bond. "Don't worry about it, Henry."

"But Ma, you got _married_. That makes her like- my stepmom, or something."

Maleficent looks to Henry, then. "I thought he smelled like you. He's not a dragon, though."

"It's complicated. You need to remember to understand," Emma feels her dragon rise within her, almost reaching for Maleficent, but not leaving her body. "Will it take very long?"

"Oh, it'll take a month – I have to drink it under a full moon and I can tell that it just passed."

Emma's eyes widen. "A month?"

"Unfortunately. Perhaps you could just tell me what happened, instead."

"I'll probably have to," Emma huffs, fire accidentally leaving her mouth, to her annoyance. Batting it out, she ignores Henry and Belle's concerned and fascinated looks. "We planned to look for her, Mal."

Mal pauses in cutting some kind of root, slowing to a stop. "Her. I- I trusted you with that knowledge?"

"I time travelled to the past with Regina, who is good enough now that you told _her_ ," Emma says, causing Maleficent to look up sharply, eyes wide. "Yeah. I know it's hard to believe."

"No, I believe you – the bond lets us know if the other is lying or not."

Emma pauses, once more wondering if she had been hasty in accepting that she and Maleficent were bonded. "Oh."

"Can someone explain what is going on?" Henry interrupts, sounding frustrated. Emma can't imagine what he's thinking right now, finding out his mother is kind of married to a villain – to a freaking _dragon_.

 _My life is so fucking fucked up._

"I time travelled with your mom, started a relationship with Maleficent, married her, made her forget we'd ever time-travelled and then came back with Zelena and Marian in tow." Emma says, having a funny feeling Henry wouldn't accept the short answer.

"How though? How did you time travel? How did you…marry her?" Henry struggles with the words, Emma sighing. "How long were you in the past? When were you? Who are you going to be looking for? What's this bond thing?"

"I _really_ don't want to get into this, Henry," Emma rubs her forehead, "If your grandfather finds a way to reverse his own memory potion, he can tell you, because I just want some space right now."

"You saw Grandpa in the past?"

"Unfortunately," Emma rolls her eyes, watching Henry disappear out to the front, the door to the shop ringing as it opens and shuts. Looking to Belle, Emma wonders if she's going to question her too.

"…I'll just go," she instead says and soon, the bell rings again, leaving Emma and Mal together, alone.

Mal continues to work on her potion, Emma playing with the cuff of her jacket. She looks anywhere but Mal, feeling a definitive presence shimmy across the bond. Eyes closing, Emma tentatively welcomes the dragon, offering a metaphysical hand.

 _'_ _Show me our time together,'_ Mal says and Emma does, after only a moments hesitation. Mal's emotions are steady, calm…but then mortification leaks over to Emma. _'I lost control. Fire and brimstone, I lost control!'_

 _'_ _I didn't help matters,'_ Emma is quick to add, before sensing _her_.

Regina's presence is small and withdrawn, the exact opposite of Mal's open and almost consuming spark. Reaching out to her, Emma physically flinches as Regina pushes her back, angry and panicked at her contact.

 _'_ _You're both very entertaining, oh this slow burning of passion…'_ Mal thinks, mortification becoming small amusement, before she gently caresses Emma through the bond, retreating. Regina's presence is drawn away out of reach, though the tiny bond that Emma can feel they have pulses with a faint, faint anger.

Opening her eyes, Emma watches Mal, pursing her lips as the dragon multitasks, brewing her potion and – presumably – conversing with Regina. A smile slowly grows on her face.

A few hours later, the Saviour finds herself entertaining Elsa, walking around town and explaining modern civilisation. Whatever freezy magic she did, Emma counteracted with a little bit of fire magic.

"It is always so hard to control," Elsa explains, fretful. Emma slings an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry. We're here to help – and when you've got yourself all figured out, we'll get you home."

"How? That wand of yours?"

"Yeah, maybe," Emma changes the subject.

The wand is still with Regina. Until Rumplestiltskin comes to collect though, Emma isn't going to say anything or give it back – it helped her open a portal and if transporting Elsa back to her own realm has to be done via time portal, well…it's not as if Elsa wasn't trapped in a jar. She could go back to after she was trapped there and keep her own timeline intact still, so long as her trapped self found its way into Rumplestiltskin's vault.

"Emma," Elsa starts as they make their way back to Regina's, stopping outside of the library, "I'd like to thank you."

"There's nothing to thank," Emma tucks her hands in her pockets. "Anyone would have done it."

"No," Elsa shakes her head, smiling shyly, "They wouldn't have. I might be a queen, but all it means is more attention and heightened situations. For every one good thing there are nine more bad and those that lived in fear of me…I don't doubt that you are one of few people that actually would have saved me and let me live."

"Elsa, no…" Emma reaches forwards, hugging the other blonde tightly, feeling a strange kinship. "There's more good people in the world than you'd think."

"Still, thank-you, Emma." Elsa hugs her back briefly, before they part. "I figure that your Regina is one of those good people, despite her demeanour."

"She's not _my_ Regina," Emma shakes her head, thinking of their…soulbond. _Robin probably has one with her. I hope he feels her heartbreak._ As if hearing her thoughts, she sees him down the road, talking furiously with a tight-laced Regina. Marian interjects at something, pushing Robin back with a glare, pointing at Regina and saying something that obviously surprises her. "She's not anyone's."

"Are you hers then?" Elsa asks with obvious amusement.

At that, Emma looks away from the arguing trio, smiling as she shakes her head, joking, "If I'm anyone's, I'm Maleficent's."

"Too true, my dear," Maleficent chimes in. Emma looks over at her sharply, not having sensed her. "No, you don't belong to me. Neither does Regina. Though, I would prefer it if my two most precious were bound together as I am to you both."

Emma opens her mouth, but she doesn't know what to say and falls silent, Maleficent staring at her for a little longer before looking to Elsa.

"You have a powerful gift."

"It's more like a curse." Elsa speaks bitterly.

Maleficent snorts. "No wonder, if that's your attitude. Magic is emotion and your magic is intricately tied to you – the fact that you fear it riles it up and makes it unhappy. I heard you froze your kingdom – were you afraid of it, too?"

"Just the people," Elsa says, sounding – and feeling – shocked. Emma looks between them both, biting her lip as Elsa looks at her hands. "So…if I don't fear it, it'll stop?"

"No, magic isn't like that. I just told you, magic is emotion." Maleficent says impatiently. "This is why I'm not a teacher. All your emotions fuel your magic and give you a reason to cast. Dark witches use hate, pain and anger. Notorious light witches like Emma here, use love."

Emma frowns at that, wanting to deny it. _I use loneliness, my sadness._

Elsa seems to feel Maleficent's words though, nodding and then frowning, looking at her hand. She holds it palm-up, shutting her eyes. Soon, her face smooths out and Emma feels a brisk breeze, that quickly turns icy. Pulling her jacket around her, Emma looks up at the quickly darkening sky, eyes widening as snow begins to fall, quickly becoming a flurry.

"Elsa, stop-" Emma looks to the witch, who is _literally_ in her element. Maleficent grumbles slightly, slipping into the library as Emma takes Elsa's upper arm, the cold freezing under her warm grip. The witch opens her eyes, smiling at the snowstorm. "Elsa, this isn't funny, you need to stop it." Elsa's face flickers with fear, before a determined expression takes over. She raises her hand higher and shuts her eyes.

"You can do it, Elsa, you can do it," Emma feels the dragon in her rise and she removes her hand from Elsa, in case she burns her, the skies clearing soon after. "You did it."

"I did it," Elsa smiles widely, grinning. "I did it, Emma!" Elsa turns to Emma, hugging her tightly. Emma sees Regina approach, Marian at her side and stops hugging Elsa – but then the Ice Queen does something she doesn't expect, taking her cheeks and kissing her. Emma blinks, stunned, but Elsa just laughs, spinning around. _Spur of the moment,_ Emma shakes her head, looking to Regina as she comes up by her.

Immediately, she knows there's something wrong. "Regina?" Emma can sense the hurt coming off her in _waves_.

Regina's eyes flicker to hers. "What was that?"

"The snow storm? Elsa was trying out her powers, I think-"

"No, not that," Regina snaps, interrupting. "She kissed you."

Emma frowns. "And what? There's nothing wrong with it." Regina glares heatedly and… _oh. Oh, she's jealous._ Emma can taste it in the back of her throat, thick and cloying as she breathes in. "It didn't mean anything."

"Right," Regina scoffs like she usually does when she sees Emma with a potential romantic partner and all of a sudden, Emma wonders if this is what she feels every time. _Does she get jealous_ _ **every**_ _time?_ Slightly confounded, Emma watches Regina stalk off, Marian watching her go with raised eyebrows.

"She's possessive of you," the forest-woman notes interestingly. "I don't understand how she and Robin came to be partners, if she's always like that with you."

"I don't know…" Emma mutters, before escaping into the library, where Maleficent and Belle are ignoring each other at the front desk. "No more snow."

"There had better not be," Mal murmurs. "I might have lived in a castle that received regular storms, but that was because I was lazy and didn't want to defend territory somewhere South."

"Got it. You don't like the cold."

"Neither do you," Mal points out as they leave. "You have a dragon inside of you, even if you aren't truly one at all."

"Thanks," Emma says wryly. "I can deal with cold though."

"So can I."

"I don't care about cold," she says instead, causing Mal to purse her lips. They walk down the street, towards Granny's. "Can you tell me more about this bond thing we have, then?"

"First of all," Mal starts in tart voice, drawing herself up, "it is not a 'bond thing'. It is a bond. Please respect that."

Emma snorts. "Until I know what I have to respect, don't get your hopes up. Explain, now."

"Dragons mate for life," Mal starts, tense. "As dragons, the bite is visible on whichever wing is bitten or closest to the bite made in human form. It is a marker, telling other dragons to leave them be as the bond the bite creates is sacred and cannot be broken. Dragons are inherently magical beings and the magic within a bite cannot be taught or learned – it is an instinct. Young dragons cannot bond and have never bonded before their majority – ever."

They stop outside of Granny's, Mal sitting at one of the patio sets rather than going inside. Emma joins her, motioning for her to continue, briefly wondering where the Black Fairy's children are.

"The bond is a soul bond. Dragons have magic unable to be replicated by any means. Very few feats of draconian magic have been copied and even then, they're not the same, not by a long shot." Mal stares at Emma's bite for a few seconds and Emma reaches up to cover it with her hair, wincing as it pulls at the pins holding it back. "When I felt the first urge to bite Regina when we met, I did not completely give into my instincts. The smell of her and that…oh, I couldn't describe it, but what I wanted didn't matter. I am no hatchling. I waited until we were in a serious romantic relationship and then I asked, explaining as I did not to you."

"Why didn't you explain?" Emma questions. "Why not? Was I that irresistible?"

"Yes," Mal says seriously, their eyes locking. "You honestly have no idea what you still do to me. You humans speak of true love and that is the only equivalent I can give you, but with dragons, there is no build-up or _getting to know each other._ Those that can bond are fated. The more I think of when I bit Regina, the more I realise how weak I was. If I had been at full power when we met, I would not have resisted or let me convince myself to wait till a time that her human sensibilities would accept me. I was still weak, when you met me, but not as weak as when I met Regina by _far_ – and you had a dragon inside of you."

Emma swallows, nodding. "Great. Awesome. So, basically, this is a culture clash. Right. So what happens when my life ends?"

"It will not end for a very, very long time. Your aging has already halted," Mal says as if it isn't _very important. Again._ Emma sucks in a breath.

"And Regina? Her too?"

"Oh yes. Though, she has aged a little since the bite. The average human peak of existence is thirty."

"I'm thirty-one," Emma mutters. "What about Henry?"

Mal sends her legitimate sympathies across the bond and Emma gets up from the table.

"No. No, no, no, no…"

"Emma?" The door to Granny's Diner opens, Ruby glancing back and forth at them. "What's going on?"

"Nothing to worry about, young child of the moon," Mal says calmly. "Emma is processing upsetting information."

"Upsetting information," Emma repeats, "I find out that I – _and_ Regina – are both going to outlive our son and you call that _upsetting information?_ "

"Oh my god…" Ruby gasps. "How?"

"Her!" Emma points wildly at the dragon, ignoring the deliberate mental calming thing Maleficent gives, as it doesn't help at all. "Her!"

"Do you have more than word in your vocab, Emma, so you can explain properly?" Ruby questions, Emma sending her an angry glare before teleporting to her room in her parents apartment, letting out a scrambled scream. Then, she drops to the bed, hands going to her mouth as she sobs, hoping to god that her parents weren't downstairs with _Neal_.

 _I'm going to outlive Henry. I'm going to watch him age and die!_

"Honey?" Snow's voice is loud and worried.

"Emma?" Charming calls.

Emma immediately poofs away, thinking of Regina's house. She appears in the kitchen, startling Regina into dropping her bottle of alcohol. Emma catches it for her, summoning it to hand and placing it on the table, shaking.

"Emma, what happened?" Regina hurries around the island table, hands coming to Emma's arms. Her voice is an immediate calming factor, Mal's mental trick doing wonders all of a sudden. Emma falls silent, but she still cries silently, resting her head on Regina's shoulder as her arms lock around the Queen in a hug. "…Emma?"

"Ask Mal," she chokes out, feeling Mal's presence shift closer to her, Regina in her magical sight as well as physical. Once Mal explains, Regina's arms wrap around her too.

"I'm sorry, Emma."

"We- we're going to watch-"

"Shh, I know, I know, darling. Shh…" her hands rub circles in her back and Emma starts crying again, Mal poofing into the kitchen too, standing a short distance away. "Shh…"


End file.
